Subject(s)
Aorta, Thoracic/diagnostic imaging , Aortic Diseases/diagnostic imaging , Atherosclerosis/diagnostic imaging , Echocardiography, Three-Dimensional , Echocardiography, Transesophageal , Intracranial Embolism/etiology , Ischemic Attack, Transient/etiology , Aged , Aortic Diseases/complications , Atherosclerosis/complications , Humans , Intracranial Embolism/diagnostic imaging , Ischemic Attack, Transient/diagnostic imaging , MaleABSTRACT
AIMS: The aim of this article is to evaluate the accuracy and reproducibility of two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (2D-STE) for the estimation of left ventricular (LV) twist, using tagged cardiac magnetic resonance (cMR) as the reference standard, and to assess how much 2D-STE rotational parameters are affected by the level at which measurements are made within the LV. METHODS AND RESULTS: Forty-three patients with various heart diseases and 10 healthy volunteers underwent cMR and 2D-STE on the same day. With both methods, basal and apical time-rotation curves were generated at endocardial, midwall, and epicardial levels. By using the most apical cMR short-axis cross-section as a comparator, apical rotation was significantly underestimated by 2D-STE. When 2D-STE and cMR short-axis cross-sections were matched for their internal dimensions, measurements of endocardial, midwall, and epicardial twists no longer differ between cMR and 2D-STE (12.6 +/- 5.9 vs. 12.5 +/- 5.7 degrees , 10.5 +/- 4.6 vs. 9.7 +/- 4.1 degrees , and 8.9 +/- 4.0 vs. 8.4 +/- 3.7 degrees , respectively, all P = ns). CONCLUSION: Compared with tagged cMR, 2D-STE underestimates apical rotation and LV twist. This is related to the inability of 2D-STE to image the real LV apex in most of the patients. However, when 2D-STE and cMR data are compared at similar acquisition levels, both techniques provide similar values.
Subject(s)
Heart Diseases/diagnostic imaging , Ventricular Function, Left , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Female , Heart Diseases/physiopathology , Heart Ventricles/diagnostic imaging , Humans , Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods , Male , Middle Aged , Observer Variation , Reproducibility of Results , Rotation , Stroke Volume , Ultrasonography , Young AdultABSTRACT
Advances over the past 10 years have enabled the widespread use of myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE) to assess myocardial perfusion. This assessment is critical in evaluating the severity of coronary artery disease and the efficacy of pharmacologic, mechanical, or surgical interventions. MCE measures myocardial blood flow (MBF) by investigating flow velocity and myocardial blood volume. Although there are potential limitations to the use of MCE for determining MBF, its use is feasible in the experimental laboratory and in the clinical environment.
