Ultrasound Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Ultrasound, including details on screening, diagnosis, pregnancy, detection.

Single beat determination of regional myocardial strain measurements in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Yamanaka-Funabiki K, Onishi K, Tanabe M, Dohi K, Ito M, Ohte N, Nobori T, Nakano T

First Department of Internal Medicine, Mie University School of Medicine, Tsu, Japan.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) and congestive heart failure share several features and often coexist in the same patients; therefore, serial assessment of regional myocardial function is important for patients with AF. However, the clinical assessment of regional myocardial function in AF is unreliable and difficult because of beat-to-beat variation. Recent reports have shown that the ratio of the preceding to the prepreceding R-R interval (RR1/RR2) can be used to assess global left ventricular systolic function. Accordingly, we tested the hypothesis that regional wall motion can be estimated from a single beat based on RR1/RR2 in patients with AF. Peak systolic strain at basal, mid, and apical segments of the septal wall was measured by Doppler tissue imaging from an apical 4-chamber view for 30 seconds in 50 patients with AF (mean ejection fraction 52.1 +/- 15.3%; mean heart rate 76.4 +/- 16.0/min). There was a positive linear relationship between peak strain and RR1/RR2 and RR1, and a negative relationship with RR2, with the correlation of peak strain to RR1/RR2 was better than that in RR1 or RR2. Furthermore, peak strain at RR1/RR2 = 1 was calculated from the linear regression and compared with the average measured value of all recorded cardiac cycles in each patient. In all cases, average peak strain showed a significant positive correlation with RR1/RR2 at each segment (r = 0.99). In conclusion, regional myocardial strain at RR1/RR2 = 1 on the linear regression represents the average value of all recorded cardiac cycles in patients with AF.

Published 13 November 2006 in J Am Soc Echocardiogr, 19(11): 1332-7.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2004-2008 Ultrasound Research Today. All Rights Reserved.