Abstract

BACKGROUND: Global longitudinal strain (GLS) is a sensitive marker for identifying subclinical myocardial dysfunction in obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). Little is known about the relationship between GLS and ischemia in patients with myocardial ischemia and no obstructive CAD (INOCA).OBJECTIVES: To investigate the relationship between resting GLS and ischemia on stress echocardiography (SE) in patients with INOCA.METHODS: Left ventricular GLS was calculated offline on resting SE images at enrollment (n=144) and 1-year follow-up (n=120) in the CIAO-ISCHEMIA study, which enrolled participants with moderate or severe ischemia by local SE interpretation (>3 segments with new or worsening wall motion abnormality and no obstructive (<50% stenosis) CAD on coronary CT angiography.RESULTS: GLS values were normal in 83.3% at enrollment and 94.2% at follow-up. GLS values were not associated with a positive SE at enrollment (GLS -21.5% positive SE vs. GLS -19.9% negative SE, p=0.443), or follow-up (GLS -23.2% positive SE vs. GLS -23.1% negative SE, p=0.859). Significant change in GLS was not associated with positive SE in follow-up (p=0.401). Regional strain was not associated with co-localizing ischemia at enrollment or follow-up. Changes in GLS and number of ischemic segments from enrollment to follow-up showed a modest but not clinically meaningful correlation (beta=0.41, 95% CI 0.16, 0.67, p=0.002).CONCLUSIONS: In this cohort of INOCA patients, resting GLS values were largely normal and did not associate with the presence, severity or location of stress-induced ischemia. These findings may suggest the absence of subclinical myocardial dysfunction detectable by echocardiographic strain analysis at rest in INOCA.

View details for DOI 10.1016/j.echo.2023.09.006

View details for PubMedID 37722490