Impaired myocardial deformation in psoriatic arthritis patients assessment by speckle tracking echocardiography

Objective: We aimed to evaluate left ventricular (LV) mechanics of patients diagnosed with PsA and no clinical evidence for cardiovascular disease (CVD) using a novel, more sensitive technique which evaluates myocardial deformation in multidimensional planes for the detection of impaired LV function. Methods: The study enrolled 31 PsA patients and sex-age matched 19 healthy controls. All participants underwent conventional echocardiography and 2-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (STE). Global longitudinal, circumferential, and radial strain were measured. Results: Although patients with PsA had normal LV ejection fraction, the myocardial deformation in multidimensional planes was impaired. STE analysis results showed that PsA patients had significantly lower global longitudinal strain (mean±S.D. -17.11±2.83 % and -19.29±2 % respectively, p=0.005), global circumferential strain (mean±S.D. -14.28±3 % and -20.34±4.78 % respectively p<0.001) and global radial strain (mean±S.D. 29.26±10 % and 46.54±17 % respectively, p