Asian Annals
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Personal Folders
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Permission Requests
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Claessens, P.
Right arrow Articles by Claessens, J.
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Claessens, P.
Right arrow Articles by Claessens, J.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Importance of Strain Imaging in Cardiac Rehabilitation

Philip Claessens, MD, Jan Meulendijks, Christophe Claessens, MD, Marc Claessens, MD, Maria Claessens, Jan Claessens, MD

Hospital Sint Jozef, Malle, Antwerp, Belgium

Jan Claessens, MD, Tel: + 32 3 232 2803, Fax: + 32 3 233 3651, Email: jan.claessens{at}village.uunet.be, Rubenslei 35, B-2018, Antwerp, Belgium.

ABSTRACT

Cardiac rehabilitation improves the subjective condition of the patient; but are there associated structural and functional cardiac adaptations? The study group consisted of 39 patients with an inferior infarction and 21 patients with an anterior infarction, treated by surgical revascularization followed by 4 months of cardiac rehabilitation. Maximal exercise testing and Doppler echocardiography were performed before and after the rehabilitation program. Performance capacity was significantly improved after cardiac rehabilitation, but left ventricular function remained unchanged on Doppler imaging. Only by analyzing the subgroups using strain imaging significant differences were noted after cardiac rehabilitation: patients with an inferior infarction exhibited improved strain values in the anterior wall; those with an anterior infarction had improved strain values in the inferior wall. Strain values in the infarcted regions were worse after cardiac rehabilitation. Strain imaging indicated that cardiac rehabilitation could bring about improvements in cardiac function exclusively in the healthy non-infarcted myocardium, while there were signs of further deterioration of myocardial function in the highly ischemic zones.

Key Words: Echocardiography • Doppler • Myocardial Infarction • Rehabilitation

Asian Cardiovasc Thorac Ann 2009; 17:240-247
© 2009 by SAGE Publications
DOI: 10.1177/0218492309104768




HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
ANN THORAC SURG ASIAN CARDIOVASC THORAC ANN EUR J CARDIOTHORAC SURG
J THORAC CARDIOVASC SURG ICVTS ALL CTSNet JOURNALS
Copyright © 2009 by SAGE Publications