Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-19T18:16:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Gilvan.pdf: 1264814 bytes, checksum: 315e543380c1d084e9507ab66fbf221f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-06-18 / Background: A specific acromegaly-related cardiomyopathy has been described in the literature, largely in Caucasians, which is independent of other risk factors, mainly hypertension. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the cardiac changes in an extensively admixed acromegalic population and also the relevance of the aetiopathogenic factors involved, such as disease activity and hypertension. Methods: In a cross-sectional design, 37 acromegalic patients (20 brown, 14 blacks and 3 whites) and 74 controls matched by age, gender and hypertension were evaluated. Cardiac morphology and function were addressed using echocardiography parameters. Results: The mean age of patients was 46.9 ± 12.8 years, with 67.6% being female and 43.2% hypertensive. The prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) between acromegalics was 56.8% versus 10.8% in the controls (p< 0.001). About 86% of patients with LVH had active disease (p = 0.023). Logistic regression revealed that disease activity presented a stronger association (OR = 5.925; CI = 1.085 32.351; p = 0.040) with LVH than hypertension (OR = 3.237; CI = 0.702 14.924; p = 0.132). Most acromegalics (51.4%) presented with diastolic dysfunction that directly correlated with age and with blood pressure levels and did not correlate with the percentage of upper limit of the normal range of IGF-I (% ULNR-IGF-I). Systolic function was not affected. When black acromegalics were compared to brown ones, no statistically significant differences were observed. Conclusion: In conclusion, chronically hyperactive somatotropic axis remains as an independent and determining factor in the development of LVH, as it is more associated with this condition than hypertension in a largely admixed population with a high prevalence of blacks. / Introdução: Uma miocardiopatia específica da acromegalia vem sendo descrita na literatura, principalmente em caucasianos e que é independente de outros fatores de risco, sobretudo, da Hipertensão Arterial Sistêmica (HAS). Objetivo: avaliar as alterações cardíacas em uma população acromegálica altamente miscigenada, assim como a importância dos fatores etiopatogênicos envolvidos, a saber: atividade da doença e HAS. Metodologia: Em um estudo transversal, 37 pacientes acromegálicos (20 pardos, 14 negros e 3 brancos) e 74 indivíduos do grupo controle pareados por faixa etária, sexo e presença de HAS foram avaliados. A morfologia e a função cardíacas foram avaliadas usando parâmetros ecocardiográficos. Resultados: a média de idade dos pacientes foi de 46.9 ± 12.8 anos, com 67.6% de mulheres e 43.2% de hipertensos. A prevalência de hipertrofia de ventrículo esquerdo (HVE) entre acromegálicos foi de 56.8% versus 10.8% no grupo-controle (p< 0.001). Cerca de 86% dos pacientes com HVE apresentaram doença ativa (p = 0.023). A análise por regressão logística demonstrou que a atividade da doença apresentou uma associação mais forte (OR = 5.925; CI = 1.085 32.351; p = 0.040) com HVE que HAS (OR = 3.237; CI = 0.702 14.924; p = 0.132). A maioria dos acromegálicos (51.4%) apresentou disfunção diastólica que se correlacionou diretamente com a idade e com os níveis de pressão arterial e não demonstrou correlação com a percentagem do limite superior da variação do normal de IGF-I (% LSN-IGF-I). Não houve alteração da função sistólica. Diferenças estatisticamente significantes não foram observadas quando os acromegálicos negros foram comparados aos pardos. Conclusão: A hiperatividade do eixo somatotrófico permanece como um fator determinante e independente para o desenvolvimento de HVE, visto que é mais associado com esta condição que HAS, em uma população de acromegálicos de ampla diversidade étnica e com alta prevalência de negros.

Background: The twisting motion of the left ventricle (LV), with clockwise rotation at the base and counter clockwise rotation at the apex during systole, is a vital part of LV function. Even though LV rotation has been studied for decades, the rotation pattern has not been described in detail. By the introduction of speckle tracking echocardiography measuring rotation has become easy of access. However, the axis around which the LV rotates has never before been assessed. The aims of this thesis were to describe the rotation pattern of the LV in detail (study I), to assess RV apical rotation (study II), develop a method to assess the rotation axis (study III) and finally to study the effect of regional ischemia to the rotation pattern of the LV (study IV). Methods: Healthy humans were examined in study I-III and the final study populations were 40 (60±14 years), 14 (62±11 years) and 39 (57±16 years) subjects, respectively. In study IV six young pigs (32-40kg) were studied. Standard echocardiographic examinations were performed. In study IV the images were recorded before and 4 minutes after occlusion of left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD). Rotation was measured in short axis images by using a speckle tracking software. By development of custom software, the rotation axis of the LV was calculated at different levels in every image frame throughout the cardiac cycle. Results: Study I showed significant difference in rotation between basal and apical rotations, as well as significant differences between segments at basal and mid ventricular levels. The rotation pattern of the LV was associated with different phases of the cardiac cycle. Study II found significant difference in rotation between the LV and the RV. RV rotation was heterogeneous and bi-directional, creating a ´tightening belt action´ to reduce it circumference. Study III indicated that the new method could assess the rotation axis of the LV. The motion of the rotation axes in healthy humans displayed a physiological and consistent pattern. Study IV found a significant difference in the rotation pattern, between baseline and after LAD occlusion, by measuring the rotation axes, but not by conventional measurements of rotation. AV-plane displacement and wall motion score (WMS) were also significantly changed after inducing regional ischemia. Conclusion: There are normally large regional differences in LV rotation, which can be associated anatomy, activation pattern and cardiac phases, indicating its importance to LV function. In difference to the LV, the RV did not show any functional rotation. However, its heterogeneous circumferential motion could still be of importance to RV function and may in part be the result of ventricular interaction. The rotation axis of the LV can now be assessed by development of a new method, which gives a unique view of the rotation pattern. The quality measurements and results in healthy humans indicate that it has a potential clinical implication in identifying pathological rotation. This was supported by the experimental study showing that the rotation axis was more sensitive than traditional measurements of rotation and as sensitive as AV-plane displacement and WMS in detecting regional myocardial dysfunction.

Purpose: Patients living with advanced heart failure experience dyspnea, fatigue, poor quality of life, depression and cognitive impairment which may threaten their ability to provide informed consent to undergo heart transplant (HTx) or mechanical support (LVAD). Using qualitative and quantitative methods, we asked how patients with advanced heart failure make decisions regarding HTx and LVAD. The variables chosen to reflect the elements of consent included quality of life and symptom severity (voluntariness), depression and cognitive impairment (capacity) and treatment preferences (decision-making). Methods: 76 patients enrolled in the quantitative arm completed the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire; Visual Analog scales for dyspnea, fatigue and overall health; Beck Depression Inventory; Montreal Cognitive Assessment; Standard Gamble and Time Tradeoff. Qualitative methods were used to discover concepts, relationships and decision-making processes described by 17 of the 76 patients considering HTx and LVAD. Results: Patients reported poor quality of life and high symptom severity scores which compelled them to consider surgery as a way to relieve unpleasant symptoms and improve quality of life. Although 30% of patients had evidence of depression and/or cognitive impairment, no patient was deemed incapable of decision-making. Patients were willing to take considerable risk (35%) and trade considerable time (4months) to improve their health. While heart failure-related concepts were important to the decision, entrustment emerged as the meaningful process for decision-making. Conclusions: Patients who participated in this study were capable of decision-making and understood the risks associated with the surgery. Voluntariness was diminished by disease but not absent, and decisions were free of coercion. These results suggest the entrustment model of decision-making is the dominant process for patients considering high-risk surgical procedures and meets criteria for informed consent. Understanding the process of decision-making will help clinicians support and enable treatment decisions made by patients living with advanced heart failure.

The objective of this thesis is to evaluate the use of Doppler echocardiography markers ofglobal dyssynchrony [total isovolumic time (t-IVT)] in the following 6 studies: 1) Its prognostic role in predicting cardiac events in patients undergoing CABG surgery,compared with conventional global systolic and diastolic measurements. 2) Its additional value in predicting six minute walk test (6-MWT) in patients with leftventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF) &lt;45%. 3) Its prognostic value in comparison with other clinical, biochemical and echocardiographicvariables in patients with chronic systolic heart failure (HF). 4) The relationship between 6-MWT and cardiac function measurements in a consecutivegroup of patients, irrespective of EF and to identify predictors of exercise capacity. 5) To investigate the effect of age on LV t-IVT and Tei index compared with conventionalsystolic and diastolic parameters. 6) To assess potential additional value of markers of global LV dyssynchrony in predictingcardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) response in HF patients. Study I Methods: This study included 74 patients before routine CABG who were followed up for18±12 months. Results: At follow-up, 29 patients were hospitalized for a cardiac event or died. LV-ESD wasgreater (P=0.003), fractional shortening (FS) lower (p&lt;0.001), E:A ratio and Tei index higher(all P&lt;0.001), and t-IVT longer (P&lt;0.001) in patients with events. Low FS [0.66 (0.50–0.87),P&lt;0.001], high E:A ratio [l4.13 (1.17–14.60), P=0.028], large LV-ESD [0.19 (0.05–0.84),P=0.029], and long t-IVT [1.37 (1.02–1.84), P=0.035] predicted events and deaths. Conclusion: Despite satisfactory surgical revascularization, long t-IVT and systolicdysfunction suggest persistent ventricular dyssynchrony that contributes to post-CABGcardiac events. Study II Methods: We studied 77 patients (60±12 year, and 33.3% females) with stable HF using 6-MWT.iii Results: E’ wave (r=0.61, p&lt;0.001), E/e’ ratio (r=-0.49, p&lt;0.001), t-IVT (r=-0.44, p&lt;0.001),Tei index (r=-0.43, p&lt;0.001) and NYHA class (r=-0.53, p&lt;0.001) had the highest correlationwith the 6-MWT distance. In multivariate analysis, only E/e’ ratio [0.800 (0.665-0.961),p=0.017], and t-IVT [0.769 (0.619-0.955), p=0.018] independently predicted poor 6-MWTperformance (&lt;300m). Conclusions: In HF, the higher the filling pressures and the more dyssynchronous the LV, thepoorer is the patient’s exercise capacity. Study III Methods: We studied 107 systolic HF patients; age 68±12 year, 25% females and measuredplasma NT-pro-BNP. Results: Over a follow-up period of 3718 months, t-IVT ≥12.3 sec/min, mean E/Em ratio≥10, log NT-pro-BNP levels ≥2.47 pg/ml and LV EF ≤32.5% predicted clinical events. Theaddition of t-IVT and NT-pro-BNP to conventional clinical and echocardiographic variablessignificantly improved the χ2 for the prediction of outcome from 33.1 to 38.0, (p&lt;0.001). Conclusions: Prolonged t-IVT adds to the prognostic stratification of patients with systolicHF. Study IV Methods: We studied 147 HF patients (61±11 year, 50.3% male) with 6-MWT.Results: The 6-MWT correlated with t-IVT (r=-0.49, p&lt;0.001) and Tei index (r=-0.43,p&lt;0.001) but not with any of the other clinical or echocardiographic parameters. Group Ipatients (&lt;300m) had lower Hb (p=0.02), lower EF (p=0.003), larger left atrium (p=0.02),thicker septum (p=0.02), lower A wave (p=0.01) and lateral wall a’ (p=0.047), longerisovolumic relaxation time (r=0.003) and longer t-IVT (p= 0.03), compared with Group II(&gt;300m). Only t-IVT ratio [1.257 (1.071-1.476), p=0.005], LV EF [0.947 (0.903-0.993),p=0.02], and E/A ratio [0.553 (0.315-0.972), p=0.04] independently predicted poor 6-MWTperformance. Conclusion: In HF, the limited 6-MWT is related mostly to severity of global LVdyssynchrony, more than EF or raised filling pressures. Study V Methods: We studied 47 healthy individuals (age 62±12 year, 24 female), arbitrarilyclassified into: M (middle age), S (seniors), and E (elderly). Results: Age strongly correlated with t-IVT (r=0.8, p&lt;0.001) and with Tei index (r=0.7,p&lt;0.001), E/A ratio (r=-0.6, p&lt;0.001), but not with global or segmental systolic function measurements or QRS duration. The normal upper limit of the t-IVT (95% CI) for the three groups was 8.3 s/min, 10.5 s/min and 14.5 s/min, respectively, being shorter in the S compared with the E group (p=0.001). T-IVT correlated with A wave (r=0.66, p&lt;0.001), E/Aratio (r=-0.56, p&lt;0.001), septal e’ (r=-0.49, p=0.001) and septal a’ (r=0.4, p=0.006), but notwith QRS. Conclusions: In normals, age is associated with exaggerated LV global dyssynchrony anddiastolic function disturbances, but systolic function remains unaffected. Study VI Methods: We studied 103 HF patients (67±12 year, 82.5% male) recruited for CRTtreatment. Results: Prolonged t-IVT [0.878 (0.802-0.962), p=0.005], long QRS duration [0.978 (0.960-0.996), p=0.02] and high tricuspid regurgitation pressure drop (TRPD) [1.047 (1.001-1.096),p=0.046] independently predicted response to CRT. A t-IVT ≥11.6 s/min was 67% sensitiveand 62% specific (AUC 0.69, p=0.001) in predicting CRT response. Respective values for aQRS ≥ 151ms were 66% and 62% (AUC 0.65, p=0.01). Combining the two variables had asensitivity of 67% but higher specificity of 88% in predicting CRT response. In atrialfibrillation (AF) patients, only prolonged t-IVT ≥11 s/min [0.690 (0.509-0.937), p=0.03]independently predicted CRT response with a sensitivity of 69% and specificity of 79% (AUC0.78, p=0.015). Conclusion: Combining prolonged t-IVT and broad QRS had higher specificity in predictingresponse to CRT, with the former the sole predictor of response in AF patients.

Purpose: Patients living with advanced heart failure experience dyspnea, fatigue, poor quality of life, depression and cognitive impairment which may threaten their ability to provide informed consent to undergo heart transplant (HTx) or mechanical support (LVAD). Using qualitative and quantitative methods, we asked how patients with advanced heart failure make decisions regarding HTx and LVAD. The variables chosen to reflect the elements of consent included quality of life and symptom severity (voluntariness), depression and cognitive impairment (capacity) and treatment preferences (decision-making). Methods: 76 patients enrolled in the quantitative arm completed the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire; Visual Analog scales for dyspnea, fatigue and overall health; Beck Depression Inventory; Montreal Cognitive Assessment; Standard Gamble and Time Tradeoff. Qualitative methods were used to discover concepts, relationships and decision-making processes described by 17 of the 76 patients considering HTx and LVAD. Results: Patients reported poor quality of life and high symptom severity scores which compelled them to consider surgery as a way to relieve unpleasant symptoms and improve quality of life. Although 30% of patients had evidence of depression and/or cognitive impairment, no patient was deemed incapable of decision-making. Patients were willing to take considerable risk (35%) and trade considerable time (4months) to improve their health. While heart failure-related concepts were important to the decision, entrustment emerged as the meaningful process for decision-making. Conclusions: Patients who participated in this study were capable of decision-making and understood the risks associated with the surgery. Voluntariness was diminished by disease but not absent, and decisions were free of coercion. These results suggest the entrustment model of decision-making is the dominant process for patients considering high-risk surgical procedures and meets criteria for informed consent. Understanding the process of decision-making will help clinicians support and enable treatment decisions made by patients living with advanced heart failure.

The definition of optimal selection criteria for maximizing the response rate to Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (CRT) is still an issue under active debate. Recent clinical approaches propose a classification of patients into classes of mechanisms that could lead to heart failure and study their response to the therapy. In this line of research, the computation of a metric between the motion and deformation patterns of a given subject and well identified classes of CRT responders is considered in this thesis, as the basis of a new strategy to compute patient selection indexes. The thesis proposes first an improved design for the construction of statistical atlases of myocardial motion and deformation, and applies it to the characterization of populations of patients involved in CRT. The added-value of our approach is highlighted in a clinical study, applying the methodology to a large population of patients with a given pattern of dyssynchrony (septal flash) and understanding the link between its correction and CRT response. Finally, we propose a method to extend the analysis to the comparison of individuals to reference populations, either healthy or pathological, using manifold learning techniques to model a disease as progressive deviations from normality along a manifold structure, and demonstrate the potential of our method for inter-subject comparison in CRT patients. / La definición de un criterio óptimo para mejorar la respuesta a la Terapia de Resincronización Cardíaca (TRC) sigue siendo un debate abierto. Estudio clínicos recientemente publicados proponen clasificar pacientes según diversos mecanismos patofisiológicos que pueden inducir insuficiencia cardíaca y estudian su respuesta a la terapia. Siguiendo esta línea de investigación, esta tesis considera el cálculo de una distancia entre los patrones de movimiento y deformación de un individuo y las clases de respondedores a la TRC, siendo la base de una nueva estrategia para calcular índices para seleccionar pacientes. Esta tesis presenta primero un método para construir un atlas estadístico de movimiento y deformación miocárdica, y su aplicación posterior a la caracterización de poblaciones de potenciales candidatos a la TRC. El valor añadido de nuestro método se enfatiza en un estudio clínico, en el cual se aplica la metodología a una gran población de pacientes con un patrón específico de disincronía cardíaca (llamado septal flash), y se relaciona su corrección y la respuesta a la TRC. Finalmente, se extiende el método para comparar individuos a una población de referencia, sana o patológica, usando técnicas de manifold learning para representar una patología como una desviación progresiva de la normalidad, con una estructura no lineal específica, y se demuestra el potencial de nuestro método para comparar entre sí candidatos a la TRC.

Diss. Linköping : Linköpings universitet, 2004.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karolinska institutet, 2006. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Objetivos: Determinar a prevalência de disfunção sistólica assintomática do ventrículo esquerdo no puerpério e comparar sua evolução com os casos de miocardiopatia periparto ocorridos no mesmo período. Pacientes e Métodos: Estudo transversal entre setembro de 2002 e abril de 2005, para determinar a prevalência de disfunção ventricular assintomática no puerpério imediato e a incidência de miocardiopatia periparto no mesmo período, e entre novembro de 2007 e janeiro de 2008 para verificar a evolução clínica e ecocardiográfica destas pacientes. Os parâmetros ecocardiográficos das puérperas com disfunção ventricular assintomática também foram comparados com os de puérperas normais. Disfunção sistólica do ventrículo esquerdo foi definida como diâmetro diastólico final ≥ 5,6 cm e/ou fração de ejeção < 53,0% + encurtamento fracional sistólico < 25%. Resultados: Foram rastreadas 1182 puérperas, sendo detectados 10 casos (0,85%) de disfunção ventricular assintomática, cujas características clínicas, como raça, superfície corporal, paridade, gemelaridade e uso de tocolíticos, não foram diferentes quando comparadas com 18 controles rastreados sem disfunção. A incidência de miocardiopatia periparto no período foi de 6 casos em 10866 partos (1/1811 partos de nascidos vivos). Após uma média de 4,0 anos (2,9-5,2 anos), 7 dos 10 casos de disfunção assintomática e 5 dos 6 casos de miocardiopatia clínica realizaram nova ecocardiografia, verificando-se significativo aumento da fração de ejeção e do encurtamento fracional médios nos dois grupos, sendo que a parcela de recuperação da função foi semelhante nos grupos (p interação > 0,05). Conclusões: Ocorre disfunção ventricular no puerpério sem os achados clínicos de insuficiência cardíaca cujos parâmetros ecocardiográficos evoluem de maneira semelhante aqueles de pacientes com miocardiopatia periparto ao longo do tempo. / Objective: To determine the prevalence of asymptomatic left ventricular systolic dysfunction in puerperium and to compare its progression with that of cases of peripartum cardiomyopathy that occurred in the same study period. Patients and Methods: Cross-sectional study conducted from September 2002 to April 2005 to determine the prevalence of asymptomatic ventricular dysfunction in early puerperium and the incidence of peripartum myocardiopathy, and from November 2007 to January 2008 to obtain clinical and echocardiographic follow-up data of the study patients. Echocardiographic parameters of puerperal women with asymptomatic ventricular dysfunction were also compared with those of normal puerperal women. The parameters to define left ventricular systolic dysfunction were end-diastolic diameter ≥ 5.6 cm and/or ejection fraction < 53.0%, and systolic fractional shortening < 25%. Results: A total of 1182 puerperal women were screened, and 10 cases (0.85%) of asymptomatic ventricular dysfunction were detected. Clinical characteristics, such as ethnicity, body surface, parity, multiple gestations, and tocolytic therapy, were not different from those of the 18 normal women used as controls. The incidence of peripartum cardiomyopathy was 6 cases out of 10866 deliveries (1/1811 live births). After a mean of 4.0 years (2.9-5.2 years), 7 of the 10 patients with asymptomatic dysfunction and 5 of the 6 with clinical cardiomyopathy underwent follow-up echocardiography. A significant increase was found in mean ejection fraction and fractional shortening in the two groups, and function recovery rates were similar in the two groups (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Ventricular dysfunction may occur in the puerperium without clinical signs of heart failure, and the long-term progression of echocardiographic parameters is similar to that found in cases of peripartum cardiomyopathy.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-03T11:52:35Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2014-07-04Bitstream added on 2015-03-03T12:06:24Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 000808155.pdf: 1450590 bytes, checksum: dd023c166c21f3c5d8b15fbf9b3b87be (MD5) / Fundação para o Desenvolvimento da UNESP (FUNDUNESP) / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / Vários estudos apontam o elevado risco cardiovascular de pacientes com doença renal crônica (DRC). A DRC tem uma intrínseca relação com hipertensão arterial e cardiomiopatia, sendo essa última caracterizada principalmente por hipertrofia ventricular esquerda (HVE) e fibrose do miocárdio, importantes preditores de mortalidade cardiovascular nos pacientes com DRC. A redução da HVE é associada a aumento da expectativa de vida desses pacientes. A espironolactona é um esteróide sintético, que atua como antagonista da aldosterona, e que, historicamente, não tem sido usada em pacientes com DRC, por causa do risco de hipercalemia. Contudo, a espironolactona e seu metabólito ativo, canrenona, foram capazes de antagonizar a ligação da ouabaína à bomba Na+/K+-ATPase. A ouabaína endógena age como ligante dessa enzima, e contribui para HVE, aumento da resistência periférica total e consequente aumento da pressão arterial. A espironolactona e a canrenona, em pesquisas anteriores, foram capazes de reduzir a HVE em pacientes com DRC em tratamento conservador, o que torna a espironolactona uma ferramenta potencial para o tratamento de pacientes com DRC, em hemodiálise, que apresentam HVE. Os objetivos do presente estudo foram avaliar a eficácia da espironolactona em reduzir a HVE de pacientes com DRC em tratamento hemodialítico, quando associada à terapia anti-hipertensiva convencional, além de verificar a segurança de seu uso, quanto ao surgimento de hipercalemia e sua tolerabilidade quanto à ocorrência de reações adversas, realizando monitoramento farmacoterapêutico e garantindo o uso seguro desse medicamento. Foi realizado estudo de intervenção, unicêntrico, randomizado, duplo-cego, placebo-controlado, composto por dois grupos: um que recebeu 12,5 mg ou 25 mg de espironolactona, associada à terapia anti-hipertensiva convencional (8 pacientes) e outro que recebeu placebo de espironolactona 12,5 mg ou 25 mg associado à ... / Several studies demonstrated the high cardiovascular risk of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) patients. The CKD has an intrinsic relationship with hypertension and cardiomyopathy, the latter being mainly characterized by left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and myocardial fibrosis, an important predictor of cardiovascular mortality in CKD patients. The reversal of LVH is associated with an increase in life expectancy in these patients. Spironolactone is a synthetic steroid that acts as an antagonist of aldosterone and that historically has not been used in patients with CKD, because of the risk of hyperkalemia. However, spironolactone and its active metabolite, canrenone, are capable of antagonizing the binding of ouabain to its receptor on Na+/K+-ATPase pump. Endogenous ouabain acts as a binder in the Na+/K+-ATPase, and contributes to the left ventricular hypertrophy, elevation of the total peripheral resistance and consequent increase in vascular blood pressure. Spironolactone and canrenone, in previous research, were able to reduce LVH in non-dialysis CKD patients, which make spironolactone a potential tool for the treatment of dialysis CKD patients with LVH. The aim of this study is to verify the effectiveness of spironolactone, when associated with conventional antihypertensive therapy, in reducing LVH in hemodialysis CKD patients. In addition, to verify the safety of its use regarding of hyperkalemia, and, its tolerability as the occurrence of adverse reactions, with pharmacotherapeutic monitoring for the safe use of this drug. Interventional, single-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted, composed of two groups: one that received 12.5 mg or 25 mg of spironolactone associated with conventional antihypertensive therapy (8 patients) and another that receive placebo spironolactone 12.5 mg or 25 mg associated (9 patients) with conventional antihypertensive therapy. Clinical and laboratory ...