title: Color M-mode echocardiography is more reproducible than conventional M-mode echocardiography for septal-to-posterior wall motion delay measurements.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the reproducibility of conventional gray-scale M-mode to color Doppler M-mode assessment of the septal-to-posterior wall motion delay (SPWMD) which is used as a marker of left ventricular mechanical dyssynchrony.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-two SPWMD datasets were interpreted by two experienced cardiologists and the inter- and intraobserver correlation coefficients were determined. Subgroup analysis was performed on patients with severe septal wall motion abnormalities.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The correlation coefficients were significantly higher in color Doppler M-mode versus traditional M-mode in all subgroups analyzed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings indicate that the color Doppler technique is more reproducible than conventional gray-scale M-mode technique to assess SPWMD. These findings suggest that the color Doppler M-mode may be a superior marker of the SPWMD measurement and predictor of left ventricular (LV) remodeling after cardiac resynchronization therapy.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Sarver Heart Center, Tucson, Arizona 85724, USA. vsorrell@email.arizona.edu
authors.forename: Vincent L
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: Sorrell
authors.forename: William D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Ross
authors.forename: Jeff
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gregoire
authors.forename: Imran
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ata
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D018618:Echocardiography, Doppler, Color / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015588:Observer Variation; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*