The evaluation of diastolic function and myocardial performance index during pregnancy: A tissue Doppler echocardiography study

Background The pregnancy process is characterized by several changes in the cardiovascular system, especially in left ventricle (LV) systolic and diastolic function. Tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) is a useful tool to evaluate global LV function. This study investigated changes in LV functions using TDI in third-trimester pregnant women. Methods A total of 86 consecutive third-trimester healthy pregnant women and 40 age-matched nonpregnant healthy women (control group) were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. LV diameter, standard Doppler and tissue Doppler parameters, and myocardial performance index (MPI) were measured for all patients. Results There was no significant difference in baseline characteristics between the pregnant and control groups. However, the cardiac chamber diameter was larger, the Am velocity was higher, and the E velocity, Em velocity, and E/A ratio were lower in the pregnant group. In addition, the MPI was significantly higher in the pregnant group compared to the control group (0.57 +/- 0.11 vs 0.42 +/- 0.02, P < .001). Correlation analysis showed that gestational week was positively correlated with the MPI (r = .407, P = .003). Conclusions Detailed assessment of cardiac function is important during pregnancy. We demonstrated that pregnancy was associated with a significantly increased MPI, as well as structural and functional changes.