Background: arterial hypertension (AH) is a well known risk factor of coronary artery disease (CAD). Despite this, history of AH was positively associated with collateral flow index.
We analyzed left ventricular (LV) structural and functional parameters among CAD patients with and without hypertension.
Methods: 93 patients with isolated left anterior descending artery disease (40 with chronic total occlusion (CTO)) were included. All patients had positive exercise stress echocardiography test and evidence of ischemia in LAD zone. 18 patients underwent LIMA to LAD grafting, 56 patients had percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and 19 patients did not receive revascularization.
Mean follow-up period was 6 years. End-diastolic diameter, end-diastolic volume, end-systolic volume and LV ejection fraction (EF) were assessed. Exercise stress-echocardiography was performed and wall motion score index (WMSI) was estimated before and after the stress.
Results:
End-systolic volume increased significantly in patients without AH and did not change in hypertensive patients (p<0.05). Among patients with CTO we observed improvement of EF in hypertensive patients and slight reduction in normotensives (p<0.05). No significant differences of stress-echo parameters were found between the groups. ΔWMSI parameter significantly decreased in both groups (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Arterial hypertension is associated with preserved LV volume and EF among patients with isolated LAD disease.
