1062: Strain/tissue Doppler for ventricular systolic and diastolic function

Abstract

Tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) is a new echocardiographic technique employing the Doppler principle to measure the velocity of myocardial segments and other cardiac structures. TDI overcomes the load-dependence of conventional Doppler techniques. As TDI allows the assessment of the velocity of motion of various myocardial segments and other cardiac structures, the method provides useful information about global and regional cardiac function (both in systole and in diastole) and has various potential applications; myocardial ischemia, identification of reversible and irreversible myocardial dysfunction, assessment of the function of other cardiac chambers (left atrium, right ventricle), differential diagnosis between constrictive pericarditis and restrictive cardiomyopathy, noninvasive estimation of pressures in cardiac chambers and pulmonary artery, localization of accessory conduction pathways, diagnosis of cardiac transplant rejection, and identification of intraventricular and interventricular dyssynergy.