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.