ALTERATIONS IN LEFT-VENTRICULAR FUNCTION IN PATIENTS WITH BEHCETS-DISEASE USING RADIONUCLIDE VENTRICULOGRAPHY AND DOPPLER-ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY

Behcet's syndrome is a multisystem disease; however, cardiac involveme nt in this disorder has been relatively less recognized. Noninvasive i maging methods may reveal a cardiac disorder which has not manifested itself clinically. In this study, radionuclide ventriculography and Do ppler echocardiography were performed in 24 patients with Behcet's dis ease to assess the left ventricular systolic and diastolic function. P atients had neither known heart disease nor cardiac symptoms. Radionuc lide ventriculography was performed using Tc-99m-labeled red blood cel ls. Ejection fraction (EF), EF fraction in the first 100 ms (EFV), pea k ejection rate, time to peak ejection, 1/3 EF, time to end systole, p eak filling rate (PFR), time to peak filling and 1/3 filling fraction (1/3 FF) values were computed using Fourier analysis of the time activ ity curve of the left ventricle with 3 harmonics. Doppler echocardiogr aphy (DE) has described impairment of diastolic compliance using analy sis of mitral flow. The mean EF (54.7 +/- 9%), EFV (11.6 +/- 3.6%), PF R (2.49 +/- 0.58 EDC/s) and 1/3 FF (33.64 +/- 14%) values were signifi cantly lower in patients than those of the control group. Nine (37.5%) patients demonstrated an impairment of diastolic function and 3 (12.5 %) had abnormal systolic function observed by the radionuclide method . DE showed abnormal ventricular compliance in 13.6% of patients. As a conclusion, noninvasive imaging methods such as radionuclide ventricu lography and DE may be valuable to detect diastolic impairment as an e arly sign of cardiac involvement in Behcet's disease.