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Updated: Jun 16, 2026
Transthoracic Speckle Tracking Echocardiography for the Quantitative Assessment of Left Ventricular Myocardial Deformation
Published on: October 20, 2016
Circumferential and longitudinal strain in 3 myocardial layers in normal subjects and in patients with regional left
Marina Leitman1, Michael Lysiansky, Peter Lysyansky
1Department of Cardiology, Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, Zerifin, Israel. marina.leitman@gmail.com
Background:
The left ventricle is not homogenous and is composed of 3 myocardial layers. Until recently, magnetic resonance imaging has been the only noninvasive technique for detailed evaluation of the left ventricular (LV) wall. The aim of this study was to analyze strain in 3 myocardial layers using speckle-tracking echocardiography.
Methods:
Twenty normal subjects and 21 patients with LV dysfunction underwent echocardiography. Short-axis (for circumferential) and apical (for longitudinal strain) views were analyzed using modified speckle-tracking software enabling the analysis of strain in 3 myocardial layers.
Results:
In normal subjects, longitudinal and circumferential strain was highest in the endocardium and lowest in the epicardium. Longitudinal endocardial and mid layer strain was highest in the apex and lowest in the base. Epicardial longitudinal strain was homogenous over the left ventricle. Circumferential 3-layer strain was highest in the apex and lowest in the base. In patients with LV dysfunction, strain was lower, with late diastolic or double peak.
Conclusions:
Three-layer analysis of circumferential and longitudinal strain using speckle-tracking imaging can be performed on a clinical basis and may become an important method for the assessment of real-time, quantitative global and regional LV function.
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