Mitral annular plane systolic excursion and aortic valve annular dimensions are not associated in healthy adults - a three-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiographic study

Introduction There is a strong association between the left ventricle (LV), the aortic valve and the aorta. The up-and-down longitudinal motion of the mitral annular (MA) plane during the heart cycle is an old-fashioned, but well-known easy-to-perform parameter of LV longitudinal function called MA plane systolic excursion (MAPSE). The aortic valve annulus (AVA) has a significant role in emptying the LV suggesting significant interaction with LV function. The present study aimed to find associations between M-mode echocardiography (MME)-derived MAPSE and three-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography (3DSTE)-derived determination of AVA dimensions in healthy adults. Methods The study comprised 130 healthy adults aged 35.2±12.2 years (69 men). Complete two-dimensional Doppler echocardiography with MAPSE assessment and 3DSTE-derived AVA assessments were carried out in all healthy individuals. Results End-diastolic and end-systolic maximum AVA diameter, minimum AVA diameter, AVA area and AVA perimeter proved to be 1.96±0.33 cm and 2.00±0.29 cm, 1.78±0.29 cm and 1.82±0.28 cm, 3.05±0.86 cm2 and 3.21±0.83 cm2 and 6.16±0.92 and 8.38±0.84 cm, respectively. Healthy subjects were classified into 3 subgroups according to their mean ± standard deviation (SD) of MAPSE and end-systolic and end-diastolic AVA areas based on the lower (10.9 mm, 2.4 cm2 and 2.2 cm2, respectively) and upper (17.3 mm, 4.0 cm2 and 3.9 cm2, respectively) values. None of the end-systolic and end-diastolic AVA diameters, areas and perimeters differed between MAPSE subgroups (end-diastolic AVA area was 3.02 ± 0.75 cm2 vs. 3.10 ± 0.91 cm2 vs 2.90 ± 0.76 cm2, p=ns for all; end-systolic AVA area was 3.24 ± 0.91 cm2 vs. 3.22 ± 0.80 cm2 vs. 3.14 ± 0.84 cm2, p=ns for all). MAPSE did not differ between end-diastolic (14.3 ± 3.2 mm vs. 14.2 ± 3.2 mm vs. 13.4 ± 3.1 mm, p=ns for all) and end-systolic (13.8 ± 3.0 mm vs. 14.4 ± 3.2 mm vs. 13.4 ± 9.7 mm, p=ns for all) AVA area subgroups. All end-diastolic AVA parameters showed parallel increase with increasing end-systolic ones and vice versa. MAPSE did not correlate with end-diastolic and end-systolic AVA parameters. Conclusions 3DSTE-derived end-diastolic and end-systolic AVA dimensions and MME-derived MAPSE are not associated in healthy adults.