[Echocardiography detection of reduced left ventricular diastolic posterior wall motion in patients with constrictive pericarditis--incidence and correlation with hemodynamics and clinical course].

In 24 patients with chronic constrictive pericarditis (CP) proven by right and left heart catheterization, the amplitude of diastolic left ventricular posterior wall motion was evaluated by M-mode echocardiography and compared with the results of 14 healthy volunteers. The amplitude was significantly less in CP patients than in normal controls (0.3 mm vs. 4.0 mm, p less than 0.001) and no CP patient showed a higher value than 2 mm whereas none of the normal subjects had an amplitude less than 3 mm. In 11 of 13 CP patients undergoing pericardectomy, an increase in amplitude was observed; in 6 of them the amplitude was within normal limits following surgery. No significant correlation between the degree of heart failure or the level of left ventricular end-diastolic pressure and the reduction of the amplitude could be found. In addition, the level of the amplitude did not allow a clear separation between patients who could be treated medically and those requiring pericardectomy. It can be concluded that the reduction of diastolic left ventricular posterior wall motion is a valuable echocardiographic parameter for the noninvasive diagnosis of CP.