Study of GLS in diabetic and hypertensive patients with slow flow coronary artery and compare with GLS in diabetic and hypertensive patients with normal epicardial coronary artery by 2D echocardiography

Coronary slow flow phenomenon (CSF) is a microvascular disorder characterized by delayed opacification of distal branches of coronary arteries in the absence of any evidence of obstructive epicardial coronary disease. In this study we aimed to comparing the LV global longitudinal strain (GLS) obtained by 2D- echocardiography in diabetic and hypertensive patients with slow flow coronary arteries and diabetic and hypertensive patients with normal coronary arteries. This is a case-control study conducted on 22 diabetic and hypertensive patients with angiographically proven normal coronary arteries and slow flow in all coronary artery (TIMI frame count>27 and TIMI-2-flow) and 25 diabetic and hypertensive patients with normal coronary without slow flow phenomenon. The patients in 2 group underwent 2D echocardiography to measure LV ejection fraction, GLS and LVH. In this study, 20 women and 27 men with the average age of 55.55±11.16 (range 31 to 80 years) were enrolled. There was no significant difference in GLS between CSF and control group (-13.58 ± 5.50% versus -12.28 ± 7.03%, P<0.489). There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of LVEF and LVH (P <0.05). The GLS in diabetic and hypertensive patients with and without CSF is not different, so measurement of global longitudinal strain using 2D echocardiography is not helpfull in diagnose of CSF in this group of patients.