Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography : official publication of the American Society of Echocardiography
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J Am Soc Echocardiogr · Apr 2010
Comparative StudyPredicting heart failure hospitalization and mortality by quantitative echocardiography: is body surface area the indexing method of choice? The Heart and Soul Study.
Echocardiographic measurements of left ventricular (LV) mass, left atrial (LA) volume, and LV end-systolic volume (ESV) predict heart failure (HF) hospitalization and mortality. Indexing measurements by body size is thought to establish limits of normality among individuals varying in body habitus. The American Society of Echocardiography recommends dividing measurements by body surface area (BSA), but others have advocated alternative indexing methods. ⋯ The choice of indexing method by parameters of BSA, height, BW, and BMI does not affect the clinical usefulness of LV mass, LA volume, and LV ESV in predicting HF hospitalization, CV mortality, or all-cause mortality among ambulatory adults with coronary artery disease. Continued use of BSA to index measurements of LV mass, LA volume, and LV ESV is acceptable.
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J Am Soc Echocardiogr · Apr 2010
Assessment of myocardial mechanics using speckle tracking echocardiography: fundamentals and clinical applications.
The authors summarize the recent developments in speckle-tracking echocardiography (STE), a relatively new technique that can be used in conjunction with two-dimensional or three-dimensional echocardiography for resolving the multidirectional components of left ventricular (LV) deformation. The tracking system is based on grayscale B-mode images and is obtained by automatic measurement of the distance between 2 pixels of an LV segment during the cardiac cycle, independent of the angle of insonation. ⋯ STE holds promise to reduce interobserver and intraobserver variability in assessing regional LV function and to improve patient care while reducing health care costs through the early identification of subclinical disease. Following a brief overview of the approach, the authors pool the initial observations from clinical studies on the development, validation, merits, and limitations of STE.