Systolic eccentricity index identifies right ventricular dysfunction in pulmonary hypertension

Systolic eccentricity index (sEI) has been shown to correlate with pulmonary hypertension (PH). However, its relative value with regards to other echocardiographic indices of right ventricular (RV) size and function in PH has not been studied. Consequently, several echocardiographic variables were collected from 103 patients (mean age 54 ± 15 years, 46 males) with a mean PASP 62 ± 37 mm Hg (range 24 to 130 mm Hg). Of the studied variables sEI was the only multivariate predictor of PH (p < 0.0001, 95% CI - 0.924 to - 0.671). This was further confirmed in a subgroup of patients who underwent invasive cardiac hemodynamic assessment showing a similar correlation between invasive hemodynamics and sEI. Based on these results, sEI appears to be an easily obtained variable that should be routinely included in the identification of RV dysfunction in PH patients.