Background: Speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) allows for the detailed assessment of myocardial deformation, providing early detection of cardiac impairment before traditional measures.
Objectives: This study investigated the predictive value of STE in identifying left ventricular dysfunction (LVD) in patients with severe MR.
Patients and methods: This prospective observational study enrolled 70 patients aged 18 years or older, both sexes, who were diagnosed with severe mitral regurgitation (MR). The patients were divided into Group I, Severe MR/LVD patients, and Group II, Severe MR without LVD.
Results: LV global longitudinal strain (GLS) and brain natriuretic peptide can significantly predict LVD (AUC = 0.838 and 0.713 respectively) at cut-off (>-20 and >145 respectively) had (86.36 and 72.73% respectively) sensitivity and (68.75 and 62.5% respectively) specificity. There was a positive correlation between BNP and LVEF (P =0.003) and a negative correlation between brain natriuretic peptide and LV global longitudinal strain (P =0.009).
Conclusions: STE, particularly GLS, can effectively predict LVD in patients with severe MR.  STE offers valuable insights into myocardial function, enabling early detection of subclinical LVD.