Progress of speckle tracking imaging in right ventricular function evaluation

Abstract

The right ventricle was considered had not played a major role in the achievement of the whole cardiac function. With the progress of researches on right ventricular structure and function, people are gradually aware of the important role of right ventricular morphology and function in clinical and prognostic evaluation. As a result, a variety of imaging technologies for overall evaluating the right ventricular functions have been developed. With the development of echocardiography, speckle tracking imaging (STI) technology has been widely used in right ventricular function evaluation. The STI technology provides a new simple and practical method for right ventricular function evaluation and research, as well as the diagnosis and prognosis evaluation of the right ventricular function associated heart and lung diseases. In this paper, the principle, method and importance of STI technology in right ventricular function evaluation and the problems in clinical application were summarized. Key words: Speckle tracking imaging; Echocardiography; Right ventricular function; Heart and lung disease