Reference intervals of two-dimensional speckle tracking-derived endocardial global longitudinal strain analysis in...

The assessment of left ventricular myocardial deformation and function by two-dimensional speckle tracking-derived strain analysis is an established method in human cardiology. It also progressively gains recognition in veterinary cardiology in both dogs and cats.

The objectives of this study were to create reference intervals for two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (STE)-derived endocardial global longitudinal strain (GLS) in a population of healthy adult cats of different breeds. Influences of heart rate, body weight, and age were investigated.

A total of 132 healthy, adult cats were included in this study.

Left apical two-, three-, and four-chamber views were obtained prospectively for GLS measurements using two-dimensional speckle tracking performed with cardiac performance analysis. Potential influence of body weight, heart rate, and age was analyzed, and the interobserver and intra-observer variability of the measurements was determined.

Endocardial GLS values were not significantly influenced by body weight (P=0.102), heart rate (P=0.144), or age (P=0.075). A reference interval for GLS of -21.18% to -37.50% (±4.12) was determined. The interobserver and intra-observer variability showed excellent agreement.

Two-dimensional STE is a feasible technique for the evaluation of cardiac myocardial deformation and systolic function in cats. Showing an excellent interobserver and intra-observer agreement, two-dimensional STE is a promising method for clinical analysis of cardiac deformation in cats.