Effects of Elective Percutaneous Coronary Intervention on Subtle Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction in Patients With Stable Coronary Artery Disease as Assessed by Global Longitudinal Strain Imaging

Aim The study aimed to detect subtle left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction, reflected by abnormal global longitudinal strain (GLS), in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and to evaluate any improvement in GLS at 24 hours and six months post-PCI. Methods A total of 94 patients with stable CAD scheduled for elective PCI at our hospital were evaluated using conventional 2D echocardiography and GLS prior to the procedure. Follow-up assessments were conducted at 24 hours and six months post-PCI. Results Our study revealed evidence of subclinical LV dysfunction in the form of reduced baseline GLS (-16.72 ± 1.98) despite a normal ejection fraction (59.21 ± 2%). Baseline GLS showed a significant correlation with the severity of CAD, declining progressively with an increasing number of stenotic coronary vessels. Notably, there was significant improvement in subclinical LV dysfunction following PCI, as evidenced by enhanced GLS values at the six-month follow-up (-21.87 ± 1.70; p < 0.001). Among patients stratified into single-vessel disease (SVD, 63.8%), double-vessel disease (29.8%), and triple-vessel disease (3VD, 6.4%), GLS improved significantly at both 24 hours and six months post-PCI compared to baseline. Conclusions Patients with stable CAD, normal LVEF, and no regional wall motion abnormalities on 2D echocardiography were found to exhibit subtle LV dysfunction as detected by GLS. GLS parameters showed significant improvement following successful PCI. The degree of GLS impairment progressively worsened with the severity of CAD, increasing from SVD to 3VD.