Electromechanical mapping of regional left ventricular function in humans: comparison with echocardiography

A catheter-based method of mapping left ventricular electromechanical regional function may be used to optimize application of local myocardial therapies by demarcating zones of ischemia or infarction. We thus performed a detailed comparison between electromechanical parameters and segmental function as assessed by echocardiography in 10 patients (3 with normal ventricles and 7 with old infarcts). Using a 16-segment model, unipolar voltage and local shortening were significantly and independently related to echo score by multivariate analysis, having a concordance with echo score of 73% for shortening and 79% for voltage. Area under ROC curves, expressing the ability to differentiate normal from abnormal segments, had values of 0.75 and 0.81 for local shortening and unipolar voltage, respectively. In conclusion, automatic assessment of regional ventricular function can be achieved independently by electrical and mechanical parameters, compared with echocardiography, permitting an integrated approach to the evaluation of ventricular function and aiding localization of catheter-based therapies.