Reference values of right atrial longitudinal strain imaging by two-dimensional speckle tracking

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Medical Imaging
• Echocardiography

Background:

• The utility of speckle tracking for evaluating right atrial (RA) deformation dynamics remains underexplored.
• Establishing reference ranges for RA longitudinal strain indices is crucial for diagnostic accuracy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish reference ranges for right atrial longitudinal strain indices using speckle tracking in a healthy population.
• To assess the feasibility and reproducibility of speckle tracking for RA deformation analysis.

Main Methods:

• Eighty-four healthy subjects underwent speckle tracking echocardiography.
• Measurements included peak atrial longitudinal strain (PALS), peak atrial contraction strain (PACS), time to peak longitudinal strain (TPLS), and strain rates (SR) from QRS onset to peak waves (x, y, z).
• A six-segment RA model was utilized for analysis.

Main Results:

• Adequate tracking quality was achieved in 64% of analyzed segments.
• Inter- and intraobserver variability coefficients ranged from 6% to 11%, indicating good reproducibility.
• Reference values for global PALS (49 ± 13%), global TPLS (363 ± 59 msec), and SR components (x-wave: 2.12 ± 0.58 sec⁻¹, y-wave: -1.91 ± 0.63 sec⁻¹, z-wave: -2.18 ± 0.78 sec⁻¹) were determined.

Conclusions:

• Speckle tracking is a feasible technique for assessing longitudinal myocardial deformation of the right atrium.
• This study provides essential reference ranges for RA strain indices, supporting its clinical use.