Can pulsed wave and colour Doppler tissue imaging detect global and regional changes in left atrial function associated with aging compared to conventional echocardiographic methods in healthy subjects?
Doppler tissue imaging techniques can reproducibly detect age-related increases in atrial contractility, providing unique data on global and segmental atrial function.
AIMS: This study applies pulsed wave Doppler tissue imaging and colour Doppler tissue imaging to study changes in atrial function with ageing. We tested the following hypotheses: (1) pulsed wave Doppler tissue imaging can detect global changes of left atrial function associated with ageing similar to standard echocardiographic methods, (2) colour Doppler tissue imaging can reproducibly detect regional changes in atrial function (wall motion) of the normal young and normal aging atrium. METHODS AND RESULT: We studied 92 healthy subjects, divided into Group B (>or=50 years) and Group A (<50 years). As a reference standard the conventional measures of atrial function were determined: peak mitral A wave velocity, A wave velocity time integral, atrial emptying fraction and atrial ejection force. Pulsed wave Doppler tissue imaging estimated atrial contraction velocity (A' velocity) in late diastolic and segmental atrial contraction was determined by colour Doppler tissue imaging. A' velocities were significantly higher in Group B vs Group A (9.8+/-1.8 vs 8.5+/-1.5cm/s; P=0.0005). A' velocity correlated with atrial fraction (r=0.28; P=0.007) and atrial ejection force (r=0.21; P=0.04). Age correlated significantly with atrial ejection force (r=0.47; P=0.0001), atrial fraction (r=0.61; P=0.0001) and A' velocity (r=0.4; P=0.0002). Longitudinal segmental atrial contraction using colour Doppler tissue imaging showed an annular to superior segment decremental gradient with contraction velocities higher in Group B vs Group A. CONCLUSION: Pulsed wave Doppler tissue imaging and colour Doppler tissue imaging are reproducible and readily obtained parameters that provide unique data about global and segmental atrial contraction. In this study, changes in atrial contraction with aging were consistent with increased atrial contribution to filling accomplished by augmented atrial contractility.
Thomas et al. (2003) studied this question.