Comparative accuracy of color M-mode and tissue Doppler echocardiography in the emergency diagnosis of congestive heart failure in chronic hypertensive patients with normal left ventricular ejection fraction

Abstract

The accuracy of the tissue Doppler E/Ea and color M-mode Doppler E/Vp indexes in diagnosing congestive heart failure (HF) was investigated in 20 chronic hypertensive patients with acute dyspnea and normal left ventricular ejection fractions who met Vasan's criteria for definite diastolic HF, compared with 20 gender- and age-matched hypertensive patients with noncardiac cause of acute dyspnea. The E/Ea ratio appeared to be more reproducible (variability 4% to 9% vs 6 to 14%) and more precise (sensitivity 77.8%, specificity 100%, and accuracy 89.5% for the optimal cutoff of 11 vs sensitivity 73.7%, specificity 75%, and accuracy 74.3% for the optimal cutoff of 1.5) than the E/Vp ratio in this clinical setting.