Comparison between colour-coded and spectral tissue Doppler measurements of systolic and diastolic myocardial velocities: effect of temporal filtering and offline gain setting.
OBJECTIVE
Colour tissue Doppler (TD) has been reported to underestimate the longitudinal myocardial motion velocities measured with spectral TD. This study evaluates the effect of temporal smoothing and offline gain settings on the results of velocity measurements with these two methods and the difference between them.


RESULTS
In 57 patients, 2D data and left ventricular velocity profiles were acquired using spectral and colour TD for a subsequent offline analysis. Longitudinal myocardial velocities were measured at unsaturated, 50%-saturated and fully saturated gain, and before and after temporal smoothing using 30, 50, and 70 ms filters, respectively. Gain level and filter width altered significantly the measured velocities. Peak systolic and early diastolic velocities were significantly higher (P < 0.001) and E/E' ratio was significantly lower (P < 0.001) with spectral TD than with colour TD, although there was a good correlation between the results of both TD modalities. The differences between the methods increased at increasing filter width and gain level.


CONCLUSIONS
Despite good correlation of the results, spectral TD produces significantly higher myocardial velocity values and lower E/E' ratio than colour TD modality. Increasing gain and temporal smoothing alter significantly the results of velocity measurements and accentuate the difference between the two TD methods.
Manouras
Aristomenis
A
Department of Clinical Physiology, Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden. aristomenis.manouras@karolinska.se
Shahgaldi
Kambiz
K
Winter
Reidar
R
Nowak
Jacek
J
Brodin
Lars-Ake
LA
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003971:Diastole; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D018618:Echocardiography, Doppler, Color / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015588:Observer Variation; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013318:Stroke Volume; D013599:Systole; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology