Transthoracic echocardiographic (TTE) examination were performed with 3.75 MHZ probe using a CX50 Philips and a Vivid i (GE Healthcare) machine. Patients were on supine flat or lateral supine positions depending on their respiratory tolerance. A four- and five-chamber apical views were used in order to collect the following variables: left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) calculated by the biplane method of disks summation (modified Simpson's rule), velocity-time integral (VTI) of the sub-aortic flow, tissue Doppler imaging of tricuspid annular motion (Sa), tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) measured by M-mode echocardiography, the peak early (E) and late (A) transmitral flow velocity, the mean early diastolic velocity (Ea) of the lateral mitral annulus, the ratios E/A and E/Ea and tissue Doppler imaging of mean systolic velocity of the lateral mitral annulus (Sm). All the parameters were averaged over three beats or five beats in case of atrial fibrillation.