Speckle-tracking echocardiography: a new technique for assessing myocardial function.

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Medical Imaging
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Speckle-tracking echocardiography (STE) is an emerging quantitative ultrasound technique.
• It analyzes speckle motion in 2D echocardiograms for myocardial function evaluation.
• STE offers non-Doppler, angle-independent quantification of cardiac dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the fundamental concepts of speckle-tracking echocardiography.
• To illustrate the methods for obtaining strain measurements using STE.
• To discuss the clinical applications of STE in cardiology.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of speckle displacement during the cardiac cycle.
• Offline measurement of myocardial strain and strain rate.
• Utilizes routine 2D sonograms for image acquisition.

Main Results:

• STE provides objective quantification of myocardial deformation.
• Strain and strain rate can be rapidly measured.
• Feasibility, accuracy, and clinical utility data are rapidly growing.

Conclusions:

• Speckle-tracking echocardiography is a valuable tool for assessing cardiac function.
• It enables accurate measurement of myocardial mechanics.
• Recognized and developing clinical applications are expanding.