Impaired Right Ventricular Mechanics at Rest and During Exercise Are Associated With Exercise Capacity in Patients With Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Abstract

Background Impaired right ventricular (RV) function indicates RV involvement in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). We aimed to assess RV function at rest and during exercise in HCM patients and to examine the association between impaired RV mechanics and exercise capacity. Methods and Results A total of 76 HCM patients (48 without and 28 with RV hypertrophy) and 30 age‐ and sex‐matched controls were prospectively recruited. RV function was evaluated at rest and during semisupine bicycle exercise by conventional echocardiography and 2‐dimensional speckle‐tracking imaging. Exercise capacity was measured by metabolic equivalents. RV functional reserve was calculated as the difference of functional parameters between peak exercise and rest. Compared with controls, HCM patients had significantly higher RV free wall thickness, lower RV global longitudinal strain and RV free wall longitudinal strain at rest and during exercise, and reduced RV systolic functional reserve. Compared with those with HCM without RV hypertrophy, patients with HCM with RV hypertrophy had lower metabolic equivalents. Among HCM patients, an effective correlation was seen between exercise capacity and peak exercise RV global longitudinal strain and peak exercise RV free wall longitudinal strain. A binary logistic regression model revealed several independent predictors of exercise intolerance in HCM patients, but receiver operating characteristic curve analysis indicated exercise RV global longitudinal strain had the highest area under the curve for the prediction of exercise intolerance in HCM patients. Conclusions HCM patients have RV dysfunction and reduced contractile reserve. Exercise RV global longitudinal strain correlates with exercise capacity and can independently predict exercise intolerance. In addition, patients with HCM with RV hypertrophy exhibit more reduced exercise capacity, suggesting more severe disease and poorer prognosis.

Keywords

• exercise stress echocardiography
• hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
• right ventricular function
• speckle‐tracking imaging