Left Ventricular Strain Reduction Is Not Confined to the Noncompacted Segments in Noncompaction Cardiomyopathy-Insights from the Three-Dimensional Speckle Tracking Echocardiographic MAGYAR-Path Study

Introduction: Noncompaction cardiomyopathy (NCCM) is a new clinical entity characterized by prominent trabecular meshwork and deep intertrabecular recesses communicating with the left ventricular (LV) cavity due to arrest of the normal embryogenesis of the endomyocardium. The aim of the present study was to evaluate different contributions of noncompacted and compacted LV segments to the global LV dysfunction by three-dimensional (3D) speckle tracking echocardiography (3DSTE)-derived strain parameters in NCCM. Patients and Methods: The present study comprised 9 patients with typical features of NCCM. Due to the limited image quality, one patient was excluded from the evaluations. Finally, 128 segments of 8 NCCM patients were assessed. Their results were compared to 176 segments of 11 healthy volunteers. Complete two-dimensional Doppler echocardiography extended with 3DSTE has been performed in all cases. Results: Fifty-five of 128 LV segments (43%) proved to be noncompacted in NCCM patients. All strain parameters of segments of NCCM patients were significantly lower as compared to segments of controls. Only radial strain (6.99 ± 7.36% vs. 12.58 ± 12.78% vs. 25.24 ± 11.76%, P < 0.001 and P < 0.05, respectively) and 3D strain (7.79 ± 7.59% vs. 14.67 ± 14.04% vs. 27.78 ± 12.57%, P < 0.001 and P < 0.05, respectively) showed further reduction in noncompacted segments as compared to compacted segments. Conclusions: Left ventricular strain reduction is not confined to the nocompacted segments in NCCM. Radial and 3D strain parameters show further reduction in noncompacted segments compared to compacted segments. © 2013, Wiley Periodicals, Inc