Background: Turner's syndrome (TS), the most frequent congenital anomaly in newborn girls, is associated with various cardiovascular abnormalities, predominantly bicuspid aortic valves and aortic coarctation. The causes of the left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and ECG findings associated with TS are unknown. We used echocardiography to assess cardiac structure and function in normotensive patients with TS.
Method: Thirty-one patients with TS and 30 healthy women were enrolled in this comparative study. Twelve-lead ECG, 24-hour-ambulatory ECG recording, and echocardiography were performed.
Results: With 24-hour-ambulatory ECG recording, the mean heart rate (HR) of TS women was higher than non-TS women. With echocardiographic examination, the interventricular septum diastolic thickness, left ventricle posterior wall diastolic thickness (LVPW), the LV mass index (LVMI), and left atrial diameter index (LADi) were significantly higher in TS women compared with controls. Mitral flow A velocity was significantly higher and the ratio of early to late diastolic filling was significantly lower in TS patients.
Conclusion: HR, LV wall thicknesses, LVMI and the LADi are significantly increased in normohypertensive TS women. There is also subclinical diastolic dysfunction in these patients.