Evaluation of Left Ventricular Function in Polymyositis and Dermatomyositis Patients with Global Longitudinal Strain Using Two Dimensional Speckle Tracking Method

Heart problems are one of the main causes of death in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies, such as polymyositis (PM) and dermatomyositis (DM). Speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) and global longitudinal strain (GLS) are non-invasive, accurate, repeatable, and angle-independent imaging techniques that facilitate a full global and regional evaluation of the left ventricular (LV) function.

This study aimed to evaluate myocardial dysfunction in DM and PM patients using STE and GLS methods.

The present control-case study was conducted on 30 polymyositis and dermatomyositis patients and 40 healthy people as the control group. Both groups showed no symptoms of cardiovascular diseases. Both groups underwent two-dimensional STE and GLS evaluation. The GLS value was taken as a marker of LV systolic dysfunction.

The 2D GLS value of LV was significantly lower in the DM and PM patients, compared to the control group. A mild diastolic dysfunction was observed in seven (23.3%) patients, and 23 (76.7%) patients had a normal state. The patients’ age and duration of the disease were found to be significantly correlated with the left ventricular diastolic dysfunction. No significant difference was observed between the DM and PM patients with the control group in terms of pulmonary artery pressure level.

Although the DM and PM patients had normal left ventricular ejection fraction values, there was a significant difference between the patients in these two groups and the control group in terms of LV dysfunction using GLS. Therefore, GLS is a useful variable that can be used to diagnose sustained and subclinical disorders in LV systolic function of DM and PM patients.