Skip Navigation



European Journal of Echocardiography Advance Access published online on November 28, 2008
European Journal of Echocardiography, doi:10.1093/ejechocard/jen308
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
10/3/433    most recent
jen308v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Duffels, M. G.J.
Right arrow Articles by Mulder, B. J.M.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Duffels, M. G.J.
Right arrow Articles by Mulder, B. J.M.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author 2008. For permissions please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Duration of right ventricular contraction predicts the efficacy of bosentan treatment in patients with pulmonary hypertension

Mariëlle G.J. Duffels1,2,*, Maxim Hardziyenka1,2, Sulaiman Surie3, Rianne H.A.C.M de Bruin-Bon1, Elke S. Hoendermis4, Arie P.J. van Dijk5, Berto J. Bouma1, Hanno L. Tan1, Rolf M.F. Berger6, Paul Bresser3 and Barbara J.M. Mulder1,7

1 Department of Cardiology, Academic Medical Center, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2 Interuniversity Cardiology, Institute of the Netherlands (ICIN), The Netherlands
3 Department of Pulmonology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
4 Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Groningen, The Netherlands
5 Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Nijmegen, The Netherlands
6 Department of Paediatric Cardiology, University Medical Center Groningen, The Netherlands
7 Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands

Received 9 August 2008; accepted after revision 4 November 2008.

* Corresponding author. Tel: +31 20 5662193; fax: +31 20 5666809. E-mail address: b.j.mulder{at}amc.uva.nl


  Abstract

Aims: In patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH), elevated endothelin-1 levels are associated with prolonged duration of right ventricular (RV) contraction, which induces leftward ventricular septal bowing with impaired left diastolic filling. We hypothesized that baseline RV contraction duration predicts efficacy of endothelin receptor antagonist, bosentan.

Methods and results: Eighteen PH patients (age 57, range 35–79 years, 33% male) received bosentan. Six minute walk distance (6-MWD) and echocardiography were performed at baseline and after 1 year follow-up. After 1 year of treatment, 6-MWD increased (mean 60 ± 41 m) in 67% of patients (responders). Baseline RV contraction duration was longer in responders, compared with non-responders (612 ± 66 vs. 514 ± 23 ms; P < 0.01). A baseline RV contraction duration >550 ms was associated with improved 6-MWD (sensitivity 83%, specificity 83%; P < 0.01).

Conclusion: An improvement of 6-MWD during bosentan treatment was associated with a decrease in RV contraction duration and could be predicted by a baseline RV contraction duration >550 ms.

Keywords: Pulmonary hypertension; Congenital heart disease; Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension; Echocardiography; Bosentan treatment


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.