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Reliability of Echocardiographic Indices of Dyssynchrony
Author(s) -
Gabriel Ruvin S.,
Bakshi Tapash K.,
Scott Anthony G.,
Christiansen Jonathan P.,
Patel Hitesh,
Wong Selwyn P.,
Armstrong Guy P.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
echocardiography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.404
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1540-8175
pISSN - 0742-2822
DOI - 10.1111/j.1540-8175.2006.00348.x
Subject(s) - medicine , cardiology , cardiac resynchronization therapy , doppler effect , qrs complex , ventricular dyssynchrony , reproducibility , doppler echocardiography , heart failure , reliability (semiconductor) , ejection fraction , diastole , blood pressure , statistics , mathematics , power (physics) , physics , astronomy , quantum mechanics
Background: Echocardiographic indices of dyssynchrony are increasingly used to select candidates for cardiac resynchronization therapy. For widespread screening of heart failure patients, such variables need to be comparable when evaluated by different operators using different equipment. Objective and Methods: To evaluate the reproducibility and obtainability of echocardiographic indices of mechanical dyssynchrony, we studied 40 subjects stratified according to QRS morphology and systolic function. Two echocardiograms were performed on each patient by different sonographers on different machines and each study was analyzed by two observers.Results: All blood‐pool and tissue Doppler indices of dyssynchrony were obtainable in over 97% of cases. Blood‐pool Doppler measures were the most reproducible indices of intraventricular dyssynchrony (aortic ejection delay) and interventricular dyssynchrony (aortopulmonary difference in ejection delay). For annular tissue Doppler delays, the time to peak velocity was consistently more reproducible than the time to velocity onset. Conclusion : Differences in the reliability of echocardiographic indices may affect their suitability as screening tests for dyssynchrony.