Title:Incremental Value of Two Dimensional Speckle Tracking Echocardiography in the Functional Assessment and Characterization of Subclinical Left Ventricular Dysfunction
Volume: 13
Issue: 1
Author(s): Prasad Gunasekaran, Sidakpal Panaich, Alexandros Briasoulis, Shaun Cardozo and Luis Afonso
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Subclinical left ventricular dysfunction, 2-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography, Global longitudinal
strain.
Abstract: Subclinical left ventricular (LV) dysfunction refers to subtle abnormalities in LV function
which typically precede a reduction in the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). The assessment
of myocardial function using LVEF, a radial metric of systolic function, is subject to load dependence,
intra-observer and inter-observer variability. Reductions in LVEF typically manifest late in the
disease process thus compromising the ability to intervene before irreversible impairment of systolic
performance sets in. 2-Dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (2D-STE), a novel strain
imaging modality has shown promise as a sensitive indicator of myocardial contractility. It arms the
clinician with a powerful and practical tool to rapidly quantify cardiac mechanics, circumventing
several inherent limitations of conventional echocardiography. This article highlights the incremental
utility of 2D-STE in the detection of subclinical LV dysfunction.
