ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: We aimed to identify the electrical stimulation sites of pacemaker leads using a tissue tracking method of tissue Doppler imaging. METHODS: The study group consisted of 30 patients who had undergone permanent pacemaker implantation. During tissue Doppler imaging, the initial contraction site was seen as a red area stimulated by the pacemaker lead. This red area was analyzed precisely using time-distance curves generated by tissue tracking. RESULTS: The initial contraction site of the myocardium was located in the interventricular septum in seven patients and in the apical portion of the right ventricle in 11 patients. Furthermore, analysis of time-distance curves demonstrated that one point within the red area started to move earlier than the others. CONCLUSION: The site of electrical stimulation within the myocardium can be determined from the time-distance curves generated by the tissue tracking method.
