Hyperdynamic left ventricle on radionuclide myocardial perfusion imaging (RNMPI): A marker of diastolic dysfunction in patients presenting with dyspnea on exertion

BACKGROUND: We hypothesized that among patients presenting with dyspnea on exertion (DOE), those who were found to have hyperdynamic left ventricle (i.e. LVEF ≥ 70%) on stress radionuclide myocardial perfusion imaging (RNMPI), are more likely to have features of diastolic dysfunction on transthoracic echocardiography. METHODS: Medical records of 1892 consecutive patients who presented between February 2011 and September 2012 with the chief complaint of DOE and were referred to stress RNMPI were reviewed. Among these, patients who had no evidence of reversible ischemia and had hyperdynamic left ventricle on perfusion imaging, were selected and their recent echocardiograms were reviewed for evidence of diastolic dysfunction. Logistic regression analysis was used to develop an equation to predict diastolic dysfunction with the ejection fraction as the predictor. A two-way analysis of variance model was used to detect differential patterns of ejection fraction across diastolic dysfunction and gender. RESULTS: A hyperdynamic left ventricle identified on stress RNMPI was found to be a significant predictor of diastolic dysfunction on echocardiography in logistic regression analysis (odds ratio = 1.24, 95% CI = 1.13–1.35, p < 0.0001). A hyperdynamic left ventricle on stress RNMPI has a specificity of 96.77% (CI 83.24–99.46%) and a positive predictor value of 97.83% (CI 88.43–99.64%) in identifying diastolic dysfunction. CONCLUSION: In patients presenting with DOE who have no evidence of reversible ischemia on radionuclide stress testing but have hyperdynamic left ventricle, a search should be made for alternate cardiac etiology for this complaint such as diastolic dysfunction and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.