Background and objective: Tissue Doppler echocardiography (TDE) is a promising method for the assessment of regional myocardial function, but pulsed TDE does not provide quantitative data from multiple regions simultaneously. This feature is important for the objective assessment of regional differences in myocardial function. In the present study, we investigated a new off-line TDE method that provides quantitative pulsed velocity data from an unlimited number of regions selected within a 2-dimensional (2D) image. The goal of the study was to determine the ability of this new approach to quantify regional myocardial function during acute myocardial ischemia induced by balloon angioplasty.
Methods: Twenty-two patients undergoing angioplasty of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) were studied. Left ventricular longitudinal wall motion was assessed by 2D TDE from the apical 4-chamber view before, during, and after angioplasty. Images were sampled at a rate of 69 +/- 15 frames/s, and the off-line analysis allowed simultaneous measurement of velocities in multiple myocardial segments.
Results: There were 3 major alterations in the systolic velocity pattern during LAD occlusion. Peak early systolic velocities along the apical septum were significantly reduced during LAD occlusion (2.8 +/- 1.2 cm/s to 0.6 +/- 1.7 cm/s, P <.001). Myocardial velocities in mid systole suggested paradoxical wall motion (1.0 +/- 1.2 cm/s to -0.8 +/- 0.9 cm/s, P <.001). When comparing the ischemic regions of the left ventricle with the nonischemic regions, each patient demonstrated lower myocardial systolic velocities in the ischemic region. Furthermore, during early diastole, the wall motion of the ischemic segments showed a postsystolic contraction pattern with velocities changing from -0.9 +/- 1.0 cm/s to 1.9 +/- 1.3 cm/s (P <.001).
Conclusion: This new 2D TDE approach is able to quantify detailed myocardial velocity profiles from multiple regions simultaneously. Single-beat comparisons of ischemic and nonischemic regions might enhance the sensitivity for diagnosing ischemic heart disease. Reversed systolic wall motion during midsystole and marked positive velocity during early diastole might be new and important markers of myocardial wall ischemia.