Rapid, single-view speckle-tracking-based method for examining left ventricular systolic and diastolic function in point of care ultrasound

Objectives A rapid, reliable quantitative assessment of left ventricular systolic and diastolic function is important for patient treatment in urgent and dynamic settings. Quantification of annular velocities based on a single 2-dimensional image loop, rather than on Doppler velocities, could be useful in point-of-care or focused cardiac ultrasound. We hypothesized that novel speckle-tracking-based mitral annular velocities would correlate with reference standard tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) velocities in a focused cardiac ultrasound-esque setting. Methods Two echocardiographers each performed transthoracic echocardiographic measurements before and after induction of anesthesia in supine patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Speckle-tracking echocardiography (STE)-based systolic (S'(STE)) and diastolic (E'(STE) and A'(STE)) velocities were compared to TDI and global longitudinal strain/strain rate. We also compared mitral annular displacement by speckle tracking with M-mode imaging. Results Twenty-five patients were included and examined in both preinduction and postinduction states. Speckle-tracking-based velocities correlated with TDI measurements in both states (S ', r = 0.73 and 0.76; E ', r = 0.87 and 0.65; and A ', r = 0.65 and 0.73), showing a mean bias of 25% to 30% of the reference standard measurement. The correlation of S'(STE) with strain and the strain rate (S-wave) and E'(STE) with the strain rate (E-wave) was good in awake, spontaneously breathing patients but was less strong in the ventilated state. Similarly, displacement by speckle tracking correlated with M-mode measurements in both states (r = 0.91 and 0.84). Measurements required medians of 31 and 34 seconds; reproducibility was acceptable for S'(STE) and E'(STE). Conclusions Speckle-tracking-based mitral annular velocities and displacement correlate well with conventional measures as well as with deformation imaging. They may be clinically useful in rapidly assessing both systolic and diastolic function from a single 2-dimensional image loop.