Apical tissue tracking echocardiography for characterization of regional left ventricular function: comparison with magnetic resonance imaging in patients after myocardial infarction.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to characterize the normal pattern of apical tracking and to investigate whether tissue tracking imaging is more useful for evaluation of regional left-ventricular function than noncontrast harmonic echocardiography in patients after myocardial infarction.


BACKGROUND
Left ventricular longitudinal shortening plays an important role in cardiac contraction, and can be evaluated online by a new Doppler tissue imaging method.


METHODS
We included 40 healthy participants and 40 patients after myocardial infarction. They underwent tissue tracking imaging and noncontrast harmonic imaging by an experienced and an inexperienced observer. Diagnostic accuracy of semiquantitative evaluation of left ventricular function was compared using magnetic resonance imaging as reference method.


RESULTS
Velocity-time integrals decreased from basal to apical segments in healthy participants. Tissue tracking imaging has a higher diagnostic sensitivity than noncontrast imaging for the diagnosis of regional wall-motion abnormalities (expert, 78% vs 97%, P <.01; beginner, 63% vs 91%, P <.001), whereas specificity remained unchanged (expert, 99% vs 97%, not significant; beginner, 91% vs 92%, not significant).


CONCLUSIONS
Tissue tracking imaging is feasible and evaluates regional systolic myocardial function quantitatively with high diagnostic accuracy compared with magnetic resonance imaging in patients after myocardial infarction, and is more accurate than noncontrast harmonic echocardiography.
Borges
Adrian C
AC
Medical Department, Charité Campus Mitte, Berlin, Germany. adrian.borges@charite.de
Kivelitz
Dietmar
D
Walde
Torsten
T
Reibis
Rona K
RK
Grohmann
Andrea
A
Panda
Alexander
A
Wernecke
Klaus-Dieter
KD
Rutsch
Wolfgang
W
Hamm
Bernd
B
Baumann
Gert
G
D000368:Aged; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D018476:Hypokinesia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009200:Myocardial Contraction / Q000502:physiology; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D015588:Observer Variation; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013318:Stroke Volume / Q000502:physiology; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left / Q000502:physiology*