Abstract:Objective To explore the quantitative evaluation of layer-specific strain by two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography(2DSTE) for subclinical myocardial damage in early hypertension. Methods A total of eighty patients with essential hypertension and 30 healthy people from January 2017 to December 2019 were respectively enrolled as hypertension group and control group.Transthoracic echocardiography was performed to obtain the parameters of conventional echocardiography,including end-systolic left atrial diameter (LAd),left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDd),interventricular septal depth(IVSd) and left ventricular posterior wall end-diastolic thickness (LVPWd),left ventricular mass index (LVMI),left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), early diastolic mitral valve orifice blood flow velocity (E)and late diastolic mitral valve orifice blood flow velocity (A), septum peak early myocardial diastolic velocities(Sep e)and lateral peak early myocardial diastolic velocities(Lat e).After the images were imported into the Echo PAC workstation,layer-specific strain analysis was performed to obtain layer-specific strain parameters［(GLS_endo,GLS_mid,GLS_epi),(CS_endo,CS_mid,CS_epi)］ and compare the differences in conventional parameters and layer-specific strain parameters between two groups. Results There were significant difference in the routine parameters of LAd,IVSd,LVPWd,E,A,E/A,Sep e and Lat e between two groups(all P<0.01),but there were no significant differences in LVEF and LVEDd between two groups (P>0.05).The absolute values of GLS_endo,GLS_mid,GLS_epi,CS_mid and CS_epi in hypertension group were significantly lower than those in control group (P<0.01,P<0.05),while there was no significant difference in CS_endo between two groups (P>0.05).The absolute values of GLS and CS of myocardial strain showed a decreasing trend from the inside to the outside(endocardial>midcardial>epicardial) (all P<0.05). ConclusionsGLS appears to be more sensitive for detecting subclinical myocardial damage compared with CS in hypertension,with a gradient deterioration of left ventricular function from endocardial to epicardium.Layer-specific strain by 2DSTE can be used to evaluate quantitatively the early subclinical myocardial damage in hypertension patients.