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Quantitative Assessment of Short Axis Wall Motion Using Myocardial Strain Rate Imaging
Author(s) -
Nakatani Satoshi,
Stugaard Marie,
Hanatani Akihisa,
Katsuki Keiko,
Kanzaki Hideaki,
Yamagishi Masakazu,
Kitakaze Masafumi,
Miyatake Kunio
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
echocardiography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.404
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1540-8175
pISSN - 0742-2822
DOI - 10.1046/j.1540-8175.2003.03015.x
Subject(s) - cardiology , medicine , dobutamine , strain (injury) , strain rate , basal (medicine) , strain rate imaging , short axis , hemodynamics , long axis , materials science , geometry , mathematics , insulin , metallurgy
Although left ventricular wall motion has been usually assessed with four‐point scale (1 = normal; 2 = hypokinesis; 3 = akinesis; 4 = dyskinesis) based on the visual assessment, this method is only qualitative and subjective. Recently, a new echocardiographic system that enables calculation of myocardial strain rate based on tissue Doppler information has been developed. We investigated whether myocardial strain rate could quantify regional myocardial contraction in 17 patients with and without wall motion abnormalities including 6 patients undergoing dobutamine stress echocardiography. Left ventricular short‐axis wall motion was assessed with standard two‐dimensional echocardiography at basal, mid‐ventricular, and apical levels. The same levels were imaged with tissue Doppler method to determine regional myocardial strain rate. Sixty‐four segments were judged normokinesis, 53 segments hypokinesis, and 18 segments akinesis at rest; 16 segments were judged normokinesis and 6 segments hypokinesis at stress. No segments characterized dyskinesis. Strain rates of normokinetic, hypokinetic, and akinetic wall segments at rest were significantly different each other (−2.0 ± 0.6for normokinesis,−0.6 ± 0.5for hypokinesis,P < 0.0001vs. normokinesis, and−0.008 ± 0.3for akinesis,P < 0.0001vs. normokinesis and hypokinesis). Further, strain rates well reflected the change in wall motion induced by dobutamine challenge: strain rates in the 15 segments revealing augmented wall motion changed from−2.0 ± 0.7to−4.7 ± 1.7 (1/sec) (P < 0.0001)and those in the 7 segments revealing deteriorated or unchanged wall motion changed from−2.1 ± 1.0to−1.7 ± 0.8 (1/sec) (P < 0.05). In conclusion, strain rate agreed well with assessed wall motion. Strain rate imaging may be a new powerful tool to quantify regional wall contraction. (ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY, Volume 20, February 2003)