Reduced global longitudinal and radial strain with normal left ventricular ejection fraction late after effective repair of aortic coarctation: a CMR feature tracking study

We sought to determine whether global and regional left ventricular (LV) strain parameters were altered in repaired coarctation of the aorta (COA) with normal LV ejection fraction (EF) when compared with healthy adult controls, and whether such alterations were related to LV hypertrophy (LVH). We identified 81 patients after COA repair (31 female, age 25 ± 8.5 years) with inclusion criteria at follow-up CMR of: age ≥13 years, time post-repair ≥10 years, no aortic valve disease, LV-EF >50 %). LV deformation indices derived using CMR-feature tracking and volumetric EF were compared between COA patients and normal controls (n = 20, 10 female, age 37 ± 7 years), and between COA with versus without LVH. In repaired COA versus controls, LV-EF (%) was 62 ± 7.2 versus 58 ± 3.0 (p = 0.01), and LV mass (g/m²) 66 ± 16.8 versus 57.7 ± 6.0 (p = 0.0001). LV global longitudinal strain (GLS) was decreased to −17.0 ± 4.7 % in COA (−20 ± 5 % in controls, p = 0.02), and global radial strain (GRS) reduced to 40 ± 15 % (50 ± 12.4 % in controls, p = 0.003). The global circumferential strain (GCS) was preserved in COA at −23 ± 4.7 % (−24.6 ± 2.4 % in controls, p = 0.14). Regionally, LS decrease was marked in the basal segments (septal, p = 0.005, lateral, p = 0.013). In COA with LVH (n = 45, mass 76.3 ± 12.8 g/m²) versus without LVH (n = 36, mass 52.2 ± 10 g/m²), GLS was more markedly decreased (−15.7 ± 4.8 vs. −18.5 ± 4.2 %, p = 0.016, but GRS and GCS were similar (p = 0.49 and 0.27). In post-repair COA with normal LV-EF, GLS and GRS are reduced whilst GCS is preserved. GLS reduction is more pronounced in the presence of LVH. GLS may qualify as indicator of early LV dysfunction.