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Updated: Mar 8, 2026
Transthoracic Speckle Tracking Echocardiography for the Quantitative Assessment of Left Ventricular Myocardial Deformation
Published on: October 20, 2016
Determination of multidirectional myocardial deformations in cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy by using
Ryohei Suzuki1, Yohei Mochizuki1, Hiroki Yoshimatsu1
1Laboratory of Veterinary Internal Medicine, Division of Therapeutic Sciences 1, Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University, Tokyo, Japan.
Insights
Two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography reveals reduced longitudinal and radial myocardial deformation in cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, aiding early diagnosis. Severe cases show decreased circumferential strain, correlating with clinical signs.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Cardiology
- Echocardiography
- Cardiac Physiology
Background:
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most prevalent cardiac disease in domestic cats.
- Quantitative assessment of myocardial deformation in feline HCM using 2D speckle-tracking echocardiography (2DSTE) has not been extensively reported.
- Understanding myocardial mechanics in HCM is crucial for diagnosis and management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantitatively measure multidirectional myocardial deformations in cats with various stages of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
- To evaluate the utility of 2DSTE-derived strain and strain rate indices for diagnosing feline HCM.
- To correlate myocardial deformation patterns with clinical severity in cats with HCM.
Main Methods:
- Enrolled 32 cats with diagnosed hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and 14 healthy control cats.
- Performed comprehensive echocardiographic assessments, including 2D speckle-tracking echocardiography.
- Measured peak systolic strain and strain rate in longitudinal, radial, and circumferential directions.
Main Results:
- Cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy exhibited reduced longitudinal and radial myocardial deformations compared to controls.
- These reductions were present even when conventional echocardiographic systolic function appeared normal.
- Severely symptomatic cats with HCM showed significantly lower peak systolic circumferential strain, alongside diminished longitudinal and radial strain.
Conclusions:
- Longitudinal and radial myocardial deformation indices derived from 2DSTE are valuable for diagnosing hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in cats.
- Decreased circumferential strain in severe feline HCM may be linked to clinical decompensation and severe cardiac signs.
- Multidirectional myocardial deformation analysis using 2DSTE offers a detailed assessment of contractile function and can differentiate HCM cats from healthy individuals.
Abstract:
Objectives Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a primary disorder of the myocardium, is the most common cardiac disease in cats. However, determination of myocardial deformation with two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography in cats with various stages of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy has not yet been reported. This study was designed to measure quantitatively multidirectional myocardial deformations of cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Methods Thirty-two client-owned cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and 14 healthy cats serving as controls were enrolled and underwent assessment of myocardial deformation (peak systolic strain and strain rate) in the longitudinal, radial and circumferential directions. Results Longitudinal and radial deformations were reduced in cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, despite normal systolic function determined by conventional echocardiography. Cats with severely symptomatic hypertrophic cardiomyopathy also had lower peak systolic circumferential strain, in addition to longitudinal and radial strain. Conclusions and relevance Longitudinal and radial deformation may be helpful in the diagnosis of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Additionally, the lower circumferential deformation in cats with severe hypertrophic cardiomyopathy may contribute to clinical findings of decompensation, and seems to be related to severe cardiac clinical signs. Indices of multidirectional myocardial deformations by two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography may be useful markers and help to distinguish between cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and healthy cats. Additionally, they may provide more detailed assessment of contractile function in cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
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