Point-of-Care Ultrasound M-Mode Analysis Using M.mode.ify: An External Validation Study for E-point Septal Separation...

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Imaging
• Medical Ultrasound Technology
• Echocardiography Analysis

Background:

• M-mode ultrasound offers high temporal resolution for precise measurement of dynamic cardiac structures.
• Traditional M-mode imaging is restricted to real-time acquisition, limiting retrospective analysis.
• M.mode.ify is a new software tool designed to generate M-mode tracings from video data for post-acquisition analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the accuracy and reliability of the M.mode.ify software.
• To assess M.mode.ify's performance in measuring E-point septal separation (EPSS), a critical echocardiographic parameter.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 41 cardiac ultrasound studies with available M-mode EPSS and PLAX video clips.
• Two blinded reviewers independently measured EPSS using M.mode.ify, with standard M-mode serving as the reference.
• Inter-rater reliability and agreement with standard M-mode were assessed using Pearson correlation and absolute error calculations.

Main Results:

• Strong inter-rater correlation (r=0.90) was observed for M.mode.ify measurements.
• Excellent agreement (r=0.92) was found between M.mode.ify and standard M-mode EPSS measurements.
• The mean absolute error for M.mode.ify measurements was 2.38 mm (SD 1.71 mm).

Conclusions:

• M.mode.ify demonstrates high accuracy and reliability for retrospective EPSS measurement.
• The software facilitates post hoc analysis of M-mode parameters, potentially increasing the value of existing ultrasound data.
• M.mode.ify offers a valuable tool for expanding the applications of echocardiographic video analysis.