Prognostic Utility of Right Ventricular Systolic Functions Assessed by Tissue Doppler Imaging in Dilated Cardiomyopathy and Its Correlation With Plasma NT‐pro‐BNP Levels

The authors invesitgated the impact of right ventricular systolic function measured by tissue Doppler imaging on clinical end points and its correlation with plasma NT-pro-BNP levels in 75 patients with nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy. Echocardiographic peak systolic velocities of tricuspid lateral annulus by tissue Doppler imaging and plasma pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-pro-BNP) levels were measured. Forty patients had clinical end points in 29+/-16 months. They were found to have higher plasma NT-pro-BNP levels and lower tricuspid lateral annulus and interventricular septum tissue Doppler peak systolic velocities than patients without clinical end points. Cut-off level of plasma NT-pro-BNP levels for predicting clinical end points was 1700 pg/mL (sensitivity and specificity, 82% and 75%, respectively). Cut-off level of tricuspid lateral annulus tissue Doppler peak systolic velocities for predicting clinical end points was 6.25 cm/sec (sensitivity and specificity, 80% and 57%, respectively). In conclusion, plasma NT-pro-BNP levels and tissue Doppler-derived right ventricular systolic functional parameters are helpful in determining prognosis in dilated cardiomyopathy.