Predictive value of left ventricular remodeling by area strain based on three-dimensional wall-motion tracking after PCI in patients with recent NSTEMI

We aimed to explore whether a novel left ventricular performance index, area strain (AS), based on three-dimensional wall-motion tracking (3-D-WMT) done before and after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) could predict left ventricular (LV) remodeling in patients with recent non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). Sixty-one patients (53.6 ± 8.8 years) with recent NSTEMI were enrolled. Coronary angiography and PCI were undertaken for reperfusion. Parameters of myocardial deformation (including LV end-diastolic volume, LV end-systolic volume, LV ejection fraction, LV global and regional peak area strain) were measured by 3-D-WMT before and 1 week after reperfusion therapy. Six months after reperfusion, LV negative remodeling was defined as lack of improvement in LV function, with increase in LV end-diastolic volume ≥15%. Patients were subdivided into remodeled group (n = 25) and non-remodeled group (n = 36) at follow-up. Patients with negative LV remodeling had significantly higher cardiac troponin I (cTnI) levels at baseline (21.21 ± 12.22 vs. 15.56 ± 8.91 ng/mL; p = 0.0357), higher B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) level (247.56 ± 177.39 vs. 170.53 ± 97.89 pg/mL; p = 0.0336) and reduced global AS (-27.9 ± 4.6% vs. -31.9 ± 4.3%; p = 0.001) than those without remodeling. Global AS at baseline had a significantly close correlation with cTnI level 36 h after MI (r = 0.71, p < 0.001). Moreover, a weak relationship was found between LV global AS at baseline and BNP level 24 h after myocardial infarction (r = 0.423, p < 0.001). By multivariate logistic regression analysis, lack of improvement of global AS 1 week after PCI was found to be a powerful independent predictor of negative LV remodeling at follow-up (OR = 1.41, 95% CI 1.28-3.27, p = 0.003). In particular, a global AS ≤32% (absolute value) showed a sensitivity and a specificity of 86.1% and 68.0% in predicting negative LV remodeling. These data suggest that AS could be used to assess myocardial global and regional LV function with good feasibility and repeatability. Global AS 1 week after PCI is a good independent predictor of negative LV remodeling after 6-month follow-up.