Progression of Left Ventricular Functional Abnormalities in Hypertensive Patients with Heart Failure: An Ultrasonic Two-Dimensional Speckle Tracking Study

In hypertensive patients, (1) LV longitudinal systolic function progressively deteriorates from NYHA I to IV and abnormalities commence in the basal septum, (2) LV radial and circumferential systolic impairment appears in NYHA III and IV, and (3) 2-D strain measurement provides a feasible tool for the quantitation of LV systolic performance.