Clinical validation of a novel speckle-tracking-based ejection fraction assessment method

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Medical Imaging
• Echocardiography

Background:

• Ejection fraction (EF) assessment is crucial in cardiovascular diagnostics.
• Traditional methods for EF calculation include modified Simpson's rule and visual interpretation.
• Novel methods are needed to improve accuracy, reproducibility, and efficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility, accuracy, and reproducibility of a novel tracking-based echocardiographic EF assessment.
• To compare this new method against established techniques like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and traditional echocardiography.

Main Methods:

• Prospective study involving 81 patients with apical echocardiographic grayscale image loops.
• EFs were estimated using biplane tracking-based assessment, modified Simpson's rule, and visual interpretation by four blinded readers.
• Comparison with a reference EF derived from echocardiography and MRI.

Main Results:

• Tracking-based EF assessment was feasible in 90% of patients, with no significant average difference in EF estimates compared to traditional methods.
• While showing slightly higher deviations from the reference EF than the modified Simpson's rule, tracking-based assessment demonstrated significantly better interobserver and intraobserver variability.
• Tracking-based EF assessment was approximately twice as fast as the modified Simpson's rule.

Conclusions:

• Tracking-based EF assessment is a feasible, faster, and more reproducible alternative to traditional echocardiographic methods.
• Its minimal user interaction is advantageous for clinical applications, especially for follow-up measurements.
• This method holds promise for improving the efficiency and reliability of echocardiographic EF quantification.