Analyzing myocardial contractility using speckle tracking

Two-dimensional strain (ε) and strain rate imaging (SRI), are new ultrasound (US) indices for quantifying regional wall deformation. Tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) has already been shown to complement established parameters in evaluating early systolic and diastolic performance. However, the widespread use of this methodology remains limited due to the fact that Doppler-derived velocity and deformation data are one-dimensional, resulting in an angle –dependency of the measurements. Speckle tracking is a novel method of assessing regional as well as global "contractility". This method overcomes many limitations inherent in assessing myocardial functioning with current methodology.