Clinical study of tissue Doppler imaging in assessing heart damage induced by chest radiotherapy
JIANG Zhi-rong1, LI Da-hai2, ZHANG Xiao-hua1
1.Department of Cardiac Ultrasound, the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University Medical College, Qingdao Shandong 266003, China; 2.Department of Ultrasound, the Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University, Baoding Hebei 071000, China
Abstract：Objective: To explore the clinical value of echocardiography and tissue Doppler imaging(TDI) in assessing heart function induced by chest radiotherapy in patients with thoracic tumors. Methods: 120 patients(those patients were divided into three groups: group I simple radiotherapy; group II radiotherapy combined with Anthracyclines; group III radiotherapy combined with other chemotherapeutic drugs) received chest radiotherapy were examined by echocardiography and TDI before radiotherapy and six months after the treatment. Twenty-nine healthy person were enrolled as control group. Results: Parameters of TDI shows: after radiotherapy, the peak motion velocity during systolic period and early diastolic period of mitral annulus, tricuspid annulus and right ventricle free wall decreased, while the peak velocity during atria contraction period increased. Among patients received radiotherapy combined with Anthracyclines the changes of parameters acquired from TDI differed significantly from those patients treated by simplex radiation or radiotherapy combined with other chemotherapeutic drugs. At the same time, those data in patients received radiotherapy combined with other chemotherapeutic drugs differed significantly from those patients treated by simplex radiation. Parameters of left ventricle systolic function index had no statistic significance compared with those data acquired before radiation. Abnormalities of routine diastolic function index of left ventricle appeared in 34 patients(28.3%)，abnormalities of routine diastolic function index of right ventricle appeared in 12 patients(10%) and increased pulmonary artery systolic pressure appeared in 2 patients. As to the control group, all the parameters changed insignificantly six months later. Conclusion: Echocardiography and TDI can be used in assessing early heart damages induced by chest radiotherapy. Compared with echocardiography, TDI are more sensitive in detecting abnormalities of heart function. Radiotherapy combined with Anthracyclines or other chemotherapeutic drugs can aggravate heart damage, especially combined with Anthracyclines.
2007, Vol. 18 
