Regional myocardial layer function in Doxorubicin cardiomyopathy; clinical evaluation using novel ultrasonic Doppler method

We examined whether the novel Doppler technique could be a sensitive diagnostic method for the histological deterioration of Doxorubicin cardiomyopathy (DoxCM). 25 patients with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia were examined for six years. Moreover, in Doxorubicin injected rabbits, histological damage was compared to the myocardial layer function by the Doppler technique. In normal subjects, myocardial layer thickening occurred in a synchronized fashion during the cardiac cycle. However, in patients, it was characterized by the appearance of a non-functioning layer in the septum. The conventional echocardiography could not be sensitive enough to demonstrate the change in DoxCM. In contrast, the myocardial layer function by this novel method obviates subclinical change in the myocardium. The histological examination in rabbits verified the linear relationship between the myocardial damage and the myocardial layer function. We concluded that the novel Doppler technique could be a useful modality for the histological change in DoxCM.