Assessment of manidipine on left ventricular function in Chinese hypertensive patients using a tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) Tei index

Despite normal indices of left ventricular (LV) chamber function, impaired diastolic and systolic function are thought to coexist in hypertensive patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of short-term manidipine therapy on LV global function in Chinese patients with hypertension using the tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) Tei index. Forty-eight patients with mild to moderate essential hypertension underwent a 2-week placebo run-in period, then received 10 to 20 mg/day of manidipine orally for 8 weeks. At the end of the placebo period and treatment, patients were examined by echocardiography. Twenty-five healthy patients were recruited and also underwent an echocardiography study. The mitral annular motions at the lateral, septum, inferior, and anterior sides were recorded. The TDI Tei index was calculated as a diastolic time interval measured from the end of a late diastole to the origin of an early diastole (a) minus systolic peak velocities duration (b) divided by b, which is the Tei index: (a-b)/b. The Tei index was significantly higher in the hypertensive group. After treatment, the Tei index was significantly lower without obvious changes in the transmitral inflow velocity. Moreover, changes in the Tei index showed no correlation with changes in blood pressure.