Doppler tissue echocardiography: can transesophageal echocardiography be used to acquire functional data?
BACKGROUND
To date there is no direct comparison of transesophageal and transthoracic Doppler tissue data in patients with cardiac malposition. We compared data acquired from both methods in an animal model.


METHODS
We studied 10 15-kg Yorkshire pigs during incremental atrial pacing to modify myocardial responses. Peak isovolumic velocity (IVV) and isovolumic acceleration (IVA) during isovolumic contraction, ejection (S wave), and diastolic velocities (early passive and active filling, E and A wave, respectively) were measured.


RESULTS
Bland-Altman plots showed comparable values for IVA, IVV, and E velocity using both methods. Measurements of A velocities were significantly different. S wave velocity measurements were significantly different in animals with cardiac malposition but not in those with levocardia. Malposition did not significantly effect measurements of IVA or IVV by either technique.


CONCLUSIONS
Assessment of systolic function using the indices IVA and IVV by tranesophageal and transthoracic echocardiography are comparable. The tranesophageal assessment of velocities associated with greater degrees of myocardial shortening or lengthening cannot be directly compared with measurements derived from a transthoracic approach in patients with cardiac malposition.
Cheung
Michael M H
MM
Division of Cardiology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Li
Jia
J
White
Paul A
PA
Smallhorn
Jeffrey F
JF
Redington
Andrew N
AN
Vogel
Michael
M
D000818:Animals; D002304:Cardiac Pacing, Artificial; D004452:Echocardiography; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler / Q000379:methods; D017548:Echocardiography, Transesophageal; D007979:Levocardia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D009200:Myocardial Contraction / Q000502:physiology; D013552:Swine