Abstract
BACKGROUND: To assess (I) the left atrial (LA) size, function and (II) the impact of excess weight on the LA and left ventricular (LV) performance in Turner syndrome (TS) patients. METHODS: Twenty-five TS patients without congenital heart disease (CHD) and 19 healthy, age-matched controls underwent three-dimensional echocardiography (3DE) for LA volume measurements and two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (2DSTE) for LA strain measurements. LV performance was measured through LV Tei-index, indexed isovolumetric contraction (ICT/√RR interval), indexed relaxation (IVRT/√RR interval) and indexed filling time (FT/√RR interval). RESULTS: Compared to healthy controls, normal-weight TS patients (n=16) displayed significantly increased heart rate (92.88±16.66 vs. 76.53±15.65 bpm; P=0.005), reduced indexed LV filling time (11.67±2.55 vs. 15.16±5.07; P=0.018), reduced 3D maximum LA volume at LV end systole/BSA (16.74±5.00 vs. 19.89±4.32 mL/m(2); P=0.05), reduced 3D LA total emptying volume/BSA [10.04 (5.05/18.46) vs. 13.11 (7.69/18.46) mL/m(2); P=0.001] and reduced 3D LA active emptying volume/BSA [2.61 (0.1/3.82) vs. 3.44 (1.64/6.37) mL/m(2); P=0.006]. Compared to normal-weight TS patients, overweight/obese TS patients (n=9) showed impaired LV Tei-index [0.38 (0.26/0.55) vs. 0.27 (0.07/0.41); P=0.009], prolonged indexed IVRT (2.04±0.72 vs. 1.30±0.64; P=0.015), prolonged indexed ICT [1.96 (1.57/2.73) vs. 1.29 (0.35/2.69); P=0.009] and increased 3D LA active emptying volume/BSA (3.38±1.21 vs. 2.29±1.07 mL/m(2); P=0.032). CONCLUSIONS: Normal-weight TS patients with increased heart rate and reduced LV filling time display subtle LV diastolic dysfunction in the form of reduced LA reservoir and pump function. Manifested systolic and diastolic LV dysfunction among overweight TS patients is partially compensated through an increase in LA active pump function.