[Ultrasound transit-time method for evaluation of regional myocardial function (author's transl)]

The validity of an ultrasound transit-time method for defining local function was evaluated under experimental conditions in the anaesthetized open chest dog. Miniaturized piezoelectric crystals (1,5-2 mm phi) functioning as emitters and receivers were inserted into different depths of the myocardium to study the contraction patterns of defined muscle segments in different muscle layers and the dynamic changes of left ventricular wall thickness during the heart cycle. Changes in myocardial function were induced by coronary stenosis or occlusion and by the application of drugs. This method was shown to be a sensible and reliable tool for the evaluation of local myocardial function.