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Updated: Apr 30, 2026
Transthoracic Speckle Tracking Echocardiography for the Quantitative Assessment of Left Ventricular Myocardial Deformation
Published on: October 20, 2016
Assessment of the helical ventricular myocardial band using standard echocardiography
Yasunobu Hayabuchi1, Miho Sakata, Shoji Kagami
1Department of Pediatrics, University of Tokushima, Tokushima, Japan.
Insights
Standard echocardiography can visualize the helical ventricular myocardial band in children. This study confirms its presence and assesses myocardial deformation, aiding in cardiac function evaluation.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Medical Imaging
- Pediatric Echocardiography
Background:
- The helical ventricular myocardial band is a complex cardiac structure.
- Standard echocardiography is a widely used non-invasive imaging technique.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if the helical ventricular myocardial band can be evaluated morphologically and functionally using standard echocardiography.
- To assess the feasibility of visualizing this structure in normal children.
Main Methods:
- Echocardiographic data were collected from 132 healthy children.
- Speckle tracking echocardiography was used to analyze myocardial deformation.
- The echogenic bright line, representing the band's boundary, was identified in various views.
Main Results:
- The helical ventricular myocardial band's boundary was visualized in the septum in all subjects.
- Peak strain showed no significant difference between segments, but timing of peak circumferential strain differed.
- The boundary between left and ascending segments was detected in 65.2% of subjects.
Conclusions:
- The helical ventricular myocardial band is observable using standard echocardiographic imaging.
- Echocardiography allows for morphological and functional assessment of this myocardial band.
Background:
The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of morphological and functional evaluation of the helical ventricular myocardial band using standard echocardiographic images.
Methods:
Echocardiographic data were obtained from 132 normal children. We attempted to identify the echogenic bright line serving as the boundary between the ascending and descending segments in the ventricular septum, and between the left and ascending segments in the left ventricular inferior wall in the helical myocardial band model proposed by Torrent-Guasp. Myocardial deformations on both sides of the bright line were compared using speckle tracking echocardiography.
Results:
The bright line separating the ascending from descending segment was visible in the mid-ventricular septum in the four-chamber view in all subjects. This echogenic boundary was observed obliquely in the parasternal short-axis view in 116 subjects (87.9%). There was no significant difference in peak longitudinal or circumferential strain between the ascending and descending segments. However, the time from the QRS onset to peak circumferential strain was significantly lower in the descending than ascending segment (394.5 ± 37.0 vs. 432.7 ± 33.1 ms, P < 0.0001), whereas there was no significant difference in the time to peak longitudinal strain (394.4 ± 26.4 vs. 393.2 ± 24.1 ms). The bright line between the left and ascending segment was detected in the short-axis view from the subcostal region in 86 subjects (65.2%). The time to peak circumferential strain was significantly lower in the left than ascending segment (380.1 ± 32.0 vs. 435.7 ± 37.9 ms, P < 0.0001).
Conclusion:
There is a helical ventricular myocardial band that can be observed in standard echocardiographic images.
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