A technique for the visualization and analysis of cardiac wall motion by two-dimensional echocardiography

A technique is presented that can be used in the visualization and analysis of cardiac wall motion abnormalities by digital two-dimensional echocardiography. This technique is based on the use of a curvature function extracted from the endocardial boundary locations and can be used for shape or shape change analysis of the heart. The authors call the locations of high absolute curvature landmarks. Identification of landmarks on the endocardial boundary provides a simplified but powerful description of the boundary that allows visualization and analysis of wall motion. The simplification of the heart beating process is an excellent tool for the identification of infarcted areas of the heart.