Jong Won Ha

BACKGROUND: The early diastolic velocity of the mitral annulus (E') is reduced in patients with diastolic dysfunction and increased filling pressures. Because transmitral inflow early velocity (E) increases progressively with higher filling pressures, E/E' has been shown to have a strong positive relationship with pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) and left ventricular end-diastolic pressure. However, previous studies have primarily involved patients without a pericardial abnormality. In

BACKGROUND: Subclinical myocardial dysfunction occurs in a significant number of patients with type 2 diabetes. Assessment of ventricular long-axis function by measuring mitral annular velocities using tissue Doppler echocardiography (TDE) is thought to provide a more sensitive index of systolic and diastolic function. We hypothesised that augmentation of left ventricular (LV) longitudinal contraction and relaxation during exercise would be blunted in patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: Mitr

OBJECTIVE: To investigate clinical outcomes of exercise-induced pulmonary hypertension (PH) and implications of an increase in left ventricular (LV) filling pressure during exercise in subjects with preserved LV ejection fraction. DESIGN: Longitudinal follow-up study. SETTING: Subjects who were referred for diastolic stress echocardiography. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The ratio of transmitral and annular velocities (E/Ea) and pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP) at rest and during exercise were

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) can occur during exercise and has an adverse effect on functional status, exercise tolerance and prognosis. However, the role of cardiac function abnormalities on exercise-induced PH in patients with normal left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is unclear. OBJECTIVE: To analyse exercise-induced PH determinants in patients with normal LVEF. METHODS AND RESULTS: 396 subjects (160 male, mean age 55 (SD 13)) referred for exercise echocardiography underwent