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Echocardiographic Assessment of Cardiac Anatomy and Function in Adult Rats
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Echocardiographic Assessment of Cardiac Anatomy and Function in Adult Rats

Published on: December 13, 2019

Evaluation of cardiac function by tissue Doppler echocardiography: hemodynamic determinants and clinical application

Wen-Chung Yu1, Wen-Shin Lee, Wen-Pin Huang

  • 1Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.

Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology
|January 18, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Tissue Doppler echocardiography measures mitral annulus velocities to assess left ventricular function. These velocities accurately identify impaired systolic and diastolic function, including reduced ejection fraction and prolonged relaxation time.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Echocardiography
  • Cardiac Physiology

Background:

  • Assessing left ventricular (LV) systolic and diastolic function is crucial in cardiology.
  • Tissue Doppler echocardiography (TDE) offers a non-invasive method to evaluate cardiac mechanics.
  • Mitral annulus velocities (MAVs) are key TDE parameters reflecting myocardial function.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine if MAVs measured by TDE can identify impaired LV systolic and diastolic function.
  • To establish correlations between MAVs and established indices of LV function like dP/dt(max), tau, and EF.
  • To assess the diagnostic accuracy of MAVs in detecting cardiac dysfunction.

Main Methods:

  • Sequential tissue Doppler echocardiography and cardiac catheterization were performed in 32 patients without regional wall motion abnormalities.
  • Peak systolic (Sa), early diastolic (Ea), and late diastolic (Aa) mitral annulus velocities were measured.
  • LV pressure and volume signals were used to evaluate LV systolic and diastolic indices, including dP/dt(max), tau, and EF.

Main Results:

  • Multivariate analysis revealed significant independent relationships between Sa and dP/dt(max), Ea and tau, and Aa and EF.
  • Low Sa, Ea, and Aa velocities, defined by age-stratified normal reference percentiles, accurately identified decreased dP/dt(max), prolonged tau, and reduced EF, respectively.
  • These TDE-derived parameters demonstrated good sensitivity and specificity in identifying cardiac dysfunction.

Conclusions:

  • Mitral annulus velocities obtained through tissue Doppler echocardiography are reliable indicators of left ventricular systolic and diastolic function.
  • TDE-based MAV assessment provides a valuable, non-invasive method for identifying patients with impaired cardiac performance.
  • This technique can aid in the early detection of conditions characterized by reduced ejection fraction and prolonged relaxation time.

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