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Tissue Doppler echocardiography.
1The Division of Cardiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. gorcsanj@msx.upmc.edu
Current Opinion in Cardiology
|December 29, 2000
Summary
Tissue Doppler echocardiography (TDE) offers valuable insights into heart function. It assesses global ventricular function and filling pressures, aiding in diagnosing conditions like constrictive pericarditis and restrictive cardiomyopathy.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Diagnostic Imaging
- Ultrasound Technology
Background:
- Tissue Doppler echocardiography (TDE) is an advanced ultrasonographic technique.
- It analyzes lower velocity frequency shifts, differing from routine Doppler for blood flow.
- TDE utilizes pulsed and color-coded methods to evaluate myocardial function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review emerging clinical applications of Tissue Doppler echocardiography.
- To highlight TDE's role in assessing global ventricular function and filling pressures.
- To demonstrate TDE's utility in differentiating specific cardiac conditions.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing color-coded TDE to measure peak systolic mitral annular velocity.
- Employing pulsed TDE to assess the mitral annular to inflow ratio (E/Ea).
- Analyzing peak early diastolic velocity for differential diagnosis.
Main Results:
- A six-site average peak systolic mitral annular velocity > 5.4 cm/sec predicts ejection fraction > 50% (88% sensitivity, 97% specificity).
- An E/Ea ratio > 10 predicts mean pulmonary capillary wedge pressure > 15 mm Hg (92% sensitivity, 80% specificity).
- Blunted peak early diastolic velocity suggests restrictive cardiomyopathy, while preserved velocity indicates constrictive pericarditis.
Conclusions:
- Tissue Doppler echocardiography is a powerful quantitative tool for cardiac assessment.
- TDE provides reliable indices for global ventricular function and filling pressures.
- TDE aids in differentiating constrictive pericarditis from restrictive cardiomyopathy.