Post-reperfusion function evaluated using two-dimensional echocardiography in dog: systolic/diastolic function vs percent necrosis.

Two-dimensional echocardiography (2DE) was performed in nine dogs with three hour proximal occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery and seven day reperfusion for sequentially mapping systolic functions (Seg-FAC%: percent segmental fractional area change) and diastolic functions (Seg-VLAC: mean velocity of segmental luminal area change) of eight segments in a mid-papillary left ventricular short-axis cross-section. The corresponding segment functions on 2DE to the most profoundly affected segment were evaluated by triphenyl-tetrazolium-chloride staining seven days post reperfusion, and categorized in two groups in terms percent mural necrosis (N%): N% greater than or equal to 40% in group A and N% less than 40% in group B, respectively. Seg-FAC% showed a significant difference between the two groups seven days post reperfusion (13.4 +/- 9.4% in group A, 53.3 +/- 7.7% in group B), while Seg-VLAC showed significant differences in the groups at three hours post occlusion (-1.6 +/- 2.1 cm2/sec in group A and 3.2 +/- 2.6 cm2/sec in group B) and seven days post reperfusion (0.48 +/- 4.7 cm2/sec in group A and 7.5 +/- 2.4 cm2/sec in group B). At seven days post reperfusion, Seg-VLAC correlated negatively with N% (r = -0.94), while Seg-FAC% did not with N% (r = -0.58). It was concluded that Seg-VLAC, after three hours' occlusion, predicts the recovery of the regional left ventricular function seven days after reperfusion; and Seg-VLAC, seven days after reperfusion can estimate the regional transmurality of necrosis thereafter.