Difference in left atrial myocardial dynamics during reservoir phase between hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and hypertensive heart determined using three-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography

We aimed to investigate left atrial (LA) myocardial dynamics during reservoir phase using three-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography (3DSTE) focusing on its longitudinal-circumferential relationship in patients with left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy and clarifying the difference in LA myocardial reservoir dynamics between hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and hypertension with LV hypertrophy (HT-LVH). We studied 4 age-matched groups consisting of 27 patients with HCM, 16 with HT-LVH, 22 hypertensive patients without LV hypertrophy (HT), and 18 normal controls. Using 3DSTE, we measured LA global longitudinal strain (LA-LS R ), global circumferential strain (LA-CS R ), and global area strain (LA-AS R ) during the reservoir phase, as well as LV global longitudinal strain (LV-LS), global circumferential strain (LV-CS), and global area strain (LV-AS). LA-LS R was significantly lower in the HCM and HT-LVH groups than in the controls, but there was no significant difference between the HCM and HT-LVH groups. LA-CS R and LA-AS R were significantly lower in the HCM group than in the other three groups, among which no significant difference was detected. In all subjects, LA-LS R was significantly correlated with LV-LS but not with LV-CS. LA-CS R was correlated with neither LV-LS nor LV-CS. In conclusion, both longitudinal and circumferential LA myocardial expansion during reservoir phase were reduced in HCM, while only the longitudinal one was reduced in HT-LVH. Reduction of LA circumferential expansion may reflect a more serious and intrinsic impairment of LA myocardial distensibility in HCM. Measuring LA-CS R and LA-AS R using 3DSTE would contribute to a more accurate understanding of LA reservoir function abnormality in HCM.