TY - JOUR

T1 - Impact of transducer frequency setting on speckle tracking measures

AU - Olsen, Flemming Javier

AU - Svendsen, Jesper Hastrup

AU - Køber, Lars

AU - Højberg, Søren

AU - Haugan, Ketil

AU - Jensen, Jan Skov

AU - Biering-Sørensen, Tor

PY - 2018/3/1

Y1 - 2018/3/1

N2 - Speckle tracking echocardiography is an emerging technique, which is currently being included in clinical guidelines. We sought to investigate the impact of transducer frequency settings on speckle tracking derived measures. The study comprised of 22 subjects prospectively enrolled for a randomized controlled trial (LOOP-study, Clinicaltrials.gov:NCT02036450). Patients were above 70 years of age with increased risk of stroke, and had an echocardiogram performed, which included focused images of the left ventricle. Focused images were obtained with the transducer frequency set at both 1.7/3.3 and 1.5/3.0 MHz. The images were obtained immediately after each other at the exact same position for the two settings. Speckle tracking was performed in three apical projections, allowing for acquisition of layered global longitudinal strain (GLS) and strain rate measures. Concordance between the frequency settings was tested for endo-, mid-, and epicardial GLS and strain rates by coefficients of variation, bias coefficients and visually displayed by Bland–Altman plots. Bland–Altman plots did not reveal any significant over- or underestimation of any speckle tracking measure. Bias coefficients showed that none of the measurements differed significantly between the two settings (bias for GLSendo = − 0.07 ± 2.94, p = 0.91; GLSmid = 0.02 ± 2.70, p = 0.98, GLSepi = 0.07 ± 2.53, p = 0.90). Coefficients of variation were as follows: GLSendo = 15.11%, GLSmid = 15.28%, GLSepi = 17.26%, systolic strain rate = 15.66%, early diastolic strain rate = 38.46%, late diastolic strain rate = 11%. Changing between transducer frequency settings does not systematically derange speckle tracking measures. One can safely reduce the transducer frequency without compromising the validity of speckle tracking derived measures.

AB - Speckle tracking echocardiography is an emerging technique, which is currently being included in clinical guidelines. We sought to investigate the impact of transducer frequency settings on speckle tracking derived measures. The study comprised of 22 subjects prospectively enrolled for a randomized controlled trial (LOOP-study, Clinicaltrials.gov:NCT02036450). Patients were above 70 years of age with increased risk of stroke, and had an echocardiogram performed, which included focused images of the left ventricle. Focused images were obtained with the transducer frequency set at both 1.7/3.3 and 1.5/3.0 MHz. The images were obtained immediately after each other at the exact same position for the two settings. Speckle tracking was performed in three apical projections, allowing for acquisition of layered global longitudinal strain (GLS) and strain rate measures. Concordance between the frequency settings was tested for endo-, mid-, and epicardial GLS and strain rates by coefficients of variation, bias coefficients and visually displayed by Bland–Altman plots. Bland–Altman plots did not reveal any significant over- or underestimation of any speckle tracking measure. Bias coefficients showed that none of the measurements differed significantly between the two settings (bias for GLSendo = − 0.07 ± 2.94, p = 0.91; GLSmid = 0.02 ± 2.70, p = 0.98, GLSepi = 0.07 ± 2.53, p = 0.90). Coefficients of variation were as follows: GLSendo = 15.11%, GLSmid = 15.28%, GLSepi = 17.26%, systolic strain rate = 15.66%, early diastolic strain rate = 38.46%, late diastolic strain rate = 11%. Changing between transducer frequency settings does not systematically derange speckle tracking measures. One can safely reduce the transducer frequency without compromising the validity of speckle tracking derived measures.

KW - Echocardiography

KW - Speckle tracking

KW - Strain

KW - Transducer frequency

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85032830963&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1007/s10554-017-1254-4

DO - 10.1007/s10554-017-1254-4

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 29101521

AN - SCOPUS:85032830963

VL - 34

SP - 457

EP - 463

JO - International Journal of Cardiovascular Imaging

JF - International Journal of Cardiovascular Imaging

SN - 1569-5794

IS - 3

ER -