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Echocardiography 5 minutes before starting   Twitter




Cardiac function and PA pressure

—Echocardiographic examinations

—Cardiac function and PA pressure

Systolic LV function
Diastolic LV function
Longitudinal function
RV function
PA pressure

—Examples of pathological
findings




Longitudinal ventricular function


Quantitative assessment | Longitudinal 2D Strain | Torsional function


Leonardo da Vinci described as early as 1478, that contracting hearts showed a movement from the base to the apex during each cardiac systole. Ventricular torsion was first described by William Harvey in 1628. Recently, a new dissection technique developed by Francisco Torrent Guasp and published in 1980, could show the complexity of myocardial architecture, explaining all types of cardiac movement during the heart function.





The picture left shows a very simplified scheme of the helical ventricular myocardial band. To the right, a superposition with the apical four-chamber view. (1) band insertion at the pulmonary artery, (2) free RV wall, (3) basal loop, (4) apical loop and (5) insertion at the aorta.

From this architectonic structure of the heart can be perceived, that the right ventricle will have a predominantly longitudinal and torsional, and the left ventricle a preponderant radial function.




Quantitative assessment of longitudinal venticular function

Longitudinal LV function can be quantitatively assessed with different methods. The degree of movement of the atrioventricular plane can be determined with M-mode, its velocity with tissue Doppler imaging (TDI). Longitudinal deformation examined by Strain Imaging is very important.

Obtained values can be influenced by at least 4 factors: age, angulation of examination beam (M-mode, TDI), respiration and method-dependent (PW-TDI versus color TDI, the latter shows significant lower values). Studies that define normal values in larger populations are still lacking.



Left: MAPSE is assessed with M-mode in apical four-chamber view, placing the examination beam on the lateral mitral annulus.

Right: measurement take place from the end of diastole, until maximal expansion in systole.

Left: pulsed TDI sample volume is placed on the lateral mitral annulus to assess systolic velocities. Possible oscillation due to respiration, as well as by MAPSE, should also be avoided here.

Right: here an example of TDI velocities of mitral annulus, with a important wave of isovolume- tric contraction. This wave should not be taken for the systolic wave.








2D Speckle-Tracking Strain



The longitudinnal strain in this case is normal.





In this case, the longitudinal strain is mildly reduced, especially septal basal.





Here is an example of a moderate reduction of the longitudinal strain, especially mediobasal, in a case of cardiac compromise by systemic light-chain amyloidosis. The apical segments show normal values (relative apical sparing).





The longitudinal strain is in this case severely diminished, especially mediobasal, in a case of cardiac compromise by systemic light-chain amyloidosis.





The longitudinal strain in this case is reduced, especially medioapical, in an apical form of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.



Alternative methods for the assessment of longitudinal strain

Feature-Traking Strain is comparable to 2D Spekle-Tracking Strain:
Left ventricular mechanics assessed by two-dimensional echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging: comparison of high-resolution speckle tracking and feature tracking, 2016

The longitudinal Unidimensional Strain (ULS) is comparable to 2D Speckle-Tracking Strain:
Unidimensional Longitudinal Strain: A Simple Approach for the Assessment of Longitudinal Myocardial Deformation by Echocardiography, 2018

Longitudinal LV function may be assessed by the measurement of the anterior movement of the aortic root in systolen:
Pathophysiological background and prognostic implication of systolic aortic root motion in non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy, 2019





Torsional ventricular function

Torsional ventricular LV function can be calculated with the formula: LVtor (degree/cm) = (apical LV rotation — basal LV rotation)/longitudinal diastolic LV dimension. Normal value = 3°/cm; it shows no variation with age (Kim HK et al. J Am Soc Echocardiogr 2007;20:45-53).


Left: a counterclockwise rotation of the apex and a clockwise rotation of the base can be determined in normal physiology.

Right: assessment of ventricular rotation is not easy, especially at the ventricular base. It can be conducted with bidimensional strain, as in this example.



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© Derliz Mereles

ORCID

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