Myocardial strain: a clinical review

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Myocardial strain, a measure of cardiac muscle fiber length change during the cardiac cycle, is crucial for assessing heart function.
• Conventional imaging techniques like echocardiography and MRI can measure myocardial strain, providing supplementary clinical data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the current literature on myocardial strain imaging, emphasizing echocardiography-based measurements.
• To elucidate the advantages and disadvantages of myocardial strain imaging.

Main Methods:

• A narrative review of existing scientific literature.
• Focus on studies utilizing echocardiography for myocardial strain analysis.

Main Results:

• Myocardial strain detects global and regional cardiac dysfunction and distinguishes between cardiomyopathy types.
• It serves as an earlier indicator of heart disease than ejection fraction and predicts adverse cardiovascular events.
• High-quality imaging and skilled practitioners are essential for accurate strain measurement.

Conclusions:

• Myocardial strain imaging provides enhanced precision in cardiac assessment without increasing patient burden.
• It should be integrated as a standard component of cardiac evaluations due to its diagnostic and prognostic value.