Speckle tracking based myocardial velocities: our experience with novel software

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Medical Imaging
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Speckle tracking is an advanced imaging technique for assessing myocardial motion.
• Multiple software packages exist, each with distinct algorithms and interfaces.
• Evaluating clinical feasibility of specific software is crucial for adoption.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the clinical feasibility of QLAB software for speckle tracking.
• To evaluate speckle-based myocardial velocities in healthy individuals.
• To analyze myocardial motion in longitudinal, circumferential, and radial directions.

Main Methods:

• 32 healthy subjects underwent imaging using apical and parasternal views.
• QLAB software was used for offline analysis of myocardial speed and velocity.
• Statistical analysis included Mann Whitney U, Student's t, and Kendall's tau-b tests.

Main Results:

• Circumferential and longitudinal speeds were significantly higher than radial velocity (p<0.001).
• Radial velocity time percent was significantly lower than longitudinal or circumferential (p<0.001).
• QLAB measurement time averaged 8.1±1.7 min, with 3% intraobserver variability.

Conclusions:

• QLAB software is feasible for speckle tracking myocardial velocities.
• Improvements in measurement time and user interaction are recommended for QLAB.
• Speckle tracking provides valuable data on myocardial dynamics.