Decrease in longitudinal strain in heart transplant recipients is associated with rejection

• Main Authors: Helena Podrouzkova, Helena Bedanova, Martin Tretina, Josef Korinek, Radka Stepanova, Jana Hruskova, Petr Nemec, Tomas Konecny, Marek Orban
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Palacký University Olomouc, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry 2015-12-01
• Series: Biomedical Papers
• Subjects: echocardiography; heart transplantation; graft rejection
• Online Access: https://biomed.papers.upol.cz/artkey/bio-201504-0014_Decrease_in_longitudinal_strain_in_heart_transplant_recipients_is_associated_with_rejection.php
• ISSN: 1213-8118; 1804-7521

Background: Around 20-40% of heart transplant patients experience moderate to severe rejection within the first year after heart transplantation. Endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) is a gold standard for diagnosing heart transplant rejection. There is a need for non-invasive alternatives that allow for early, safe and reliable diagnosis of acute graft rejection prior to the onset of clinical symptoms. Aims: Our aim was to investigate the potential of speckle tracking derived strain analysis in the diagnosis of acute graft rejection. Methods: Patients indicated for EMB consented to a trans-thoracic echocardiography examination (TTE) within 2 hours of the EMB. Of this cohort, those with at least 2 EMBs separated ≥ 1 week, and whose TTE could be analyzed for strain, were included. The relationship between strain and EMB results was evaluated. Results: Of the 43 patients included (mean age 51.33±1.79, 67% male), 23 had findings of rejection identified on at least one EMB and at least one EMB without rejection for comparison. A significant deterioration in the longitudinal strain during rejection compared to non-rejection was found on apical 4-chamber views (-11.51±0.91 vs -13.48±0.96, P=0.025) and apical 2-chamber views (-11.84±0.78 vs -14.43±0.83, P=0.002). In the patients in whom no rejection was identified on either EBM, there was no significant change in longitudinal strain values at two different time points. Conclusion: Worsening of longitudinal strain was associated with acute cellular rejection. Routine TTE-based strain analysis could help in early detection of cardiac rejection and timing of EMB.