[The left ventricle in chronic renal failure patients. Ecocardiographic and poligraphic study before and after hemodialysis (author's transl)].

Echocardiographic and systolic time intervals changes found after hemodyalisis in 16 patients with chronic renal failure are analysed and discussed. Echocardiogram shows: significant (p less than 0.05), no change statistically significant of end-systolic diameter, fractional shortening, mean velocity of circumferential shortening (VcF), and amplitude of septal motion. Systolic time intervals show: significant reduction (p less than 0.001) of total electromechanical systole (SEM), mechanical systole (SM) and left ventricular ejection time (LVET), and increase (p less than 0.05) of pre-ejection period (PEP) and the ratio PEP/LVET (p less than 0.005). The reason of these changes is the post-dialytic fluid's loss (2140 +/- 760 g) followed by left ventricular end-diastolic diameter and volume reduction which decreases stoke volume and LVET (according to Frank-Starling's law). It has not been possible to draw concordant and definitive conclusions on the post-dialytic left ventricular function. PEP lengthening would give evident for myocardial involvement (but pre-load and after-load changes modifies it), while the other data are slightly affected (VcF, fractional shortening, and amplitude of septal motion) or improved (amplitude and peak velocity of posterior wall motion).