Value of Speckle Tracking Echocardiography for Detection of Clinically Silent Left and Right Ventricular Dysfunction in Patients with β-Thalassemia Major

Abstract

Background: Since beta-thalassemia is a genetic condition with a variety of clinical manifestations, there has been an increase in interest in biomarkers that could aid in the early identification, staging, and prognosis of cardiac disease in beta-thalassemia patients. Recent advances in quantitative ultrasound technology have made speckle tracking echocardiography a viable option for precisely assessing cardiac function. Aim of the work: Determine the efficacy of Speckle Tracking Echocardiography (STE) in the early diagnosis of myocardial affection in B-Thalassemia patients utilizing various echocardiographic modalities. Methodology : 100 patients between the ages of 5 and 25 were enrolled in a cross-sectional study, 50 of them had known beta thalassemia. From March 2022 to January 2023, pediatric Cardiology and Hematology units at Banha University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, used various echocardiographic modalities on a major patient from a hematology outpatient clinic and 50 control, seemingly healthy patients. Results: The gender split was 50% male and 50% female, with a mean age of 18.03 4.08. There was no EF affliction, all of which were within normal ranges. By using the 2D speckle tracking technique, the beta thalassemia group's global longitudinal strain (GLS) mean was -16.72 4.14 and the group of controls' GLS mean was -20.80 2.69. This difference was highly significant, with a p value of 0.001 indicating the early detection of myocardial systolic and diastolic affection despite normal EF values. Conclusion: speckle tracking echocardiography is valuable in assessment of cardiac function in patient with beta thalassemia and silent cardiac dysfunction.