Echocardiographic imaging is ideally suited for the evaluation of cardiac mechanics because of its intrinsically dynamic nature. Because for decades, echocardiography has been the only imaging modality that allows dynamic imaging of the heart, it is only natural that new, increasingly automated techniques for sophisticated analysis of cardiac mechanics have been driven by researchers and manufacturers of ultrasound imaging equipment. Several such techniques have emerged over the past decades to address the issue of reader's experience and inter-measurement variability in interpretation. Some were widely embraced by echocardiographers around the world and became part of the clinical routine, whereas others remained limited to research and exploration of new clinical applications. Two such techniques have dominated the research arena of echocardiography: (1) Doppler-based tissue velocity measurements, frequently referred to as tissue Doppler or myocardial Doppler, and (2) speckle tracking on the basis of displacement measurements. Both types of measurements lend themselves to the derivation of multiple parameters of myocardial function. The goal of this document is to focus on the currently available techniques that allow quantitative assessment of myocardial function via image-based analysis of local myocardial dynamics, including Doppler tissue imaging and speckle-tracking echocardiography, as well as integrated back- scatter analysis. This document describes the current and potential clinical applications of these techniques and their strengths and weaknesses, briefly surveys a selection of the relevant published literature while highlighting normal and abnormal findings in the context of different cardiovascular pathologies, and summarizes the unresolved issues, future research priorities, and recommended indications for clinical use.

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Tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) and TDI-derived strain imaging are robust physiologic tools used for the noninvasive assessment of regional myocardial function. Due to high temporal and spatial resolution, regional function can be assessed for each phase of the cardiac cycle and within the transmural layers of the myocardial wall. Newer techniques that measure myocardial motion by speckle tracking in grayscale images have overcome the angle dependence of TDI strain, allowing for measurement of 2-dimensional strain and cardiac rotation. TDI, TDI strain, and speckle tracking may provide unique information that deciphers the deformation sequence of complexly oriented myofibers in the left ventricular wall. The data are, however, limited. This review examines the structure and function of the left ventricle relative to the potential clinical application of TDI and speckle tracking in assessing the global mechanical sequence of the left ventricle in vivo.The spiral arrangement of muscle fibers in the heart is reminiscent of spiral and vortex patterns in nature, ranging from small organelles and whirlpools to hurricanes and rotational patterns of the galaxies (1-5). Vortex patterns link two fundamental forms of motion that work in close balance: an inner, rapidly descending swirl and an outer, less rapid, ascending rotation (4) ( Fig. 1 A-C). These counterdirectional movements of a vortex produce suction and expulsion forces that have been exploited for designing energy efficient propellers and turbines (6). Likewise, experimental and mathematical modeling of the clockwise and counterclockwise spiral loops of myofibers in the left ventricle (LV) has shown that counterdirectional geometry provides an efficient distribution of regional stresses and strains (7). Conversely, altered ventricular geometry resulting from cardiac remodeling, regional myocardial dysfunction, or asynchronous conduction distort the efficiency of the loading and expulsion dynamics (8,9). In this review, we associate the LV myofiber architecture to the spatiotemporal sequence of regional deformations occurring during normal cardiac contraction and relaxation. We further elucidate experimental observations, which explore the application of tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) and 2-dimensional ultrasound speckle tracking for delineation of the synchronous mechanical shortening and lengthening sequences of the human LV.Address reprint requests to Marek Belohlavek, Division of Cardiovascular Diseases, Mayo Clinic, 13400 East Shea Boulevard Scottsdale, AZ 85259, E-mail address for author named in reprint line: Belohlavek.marek@mayo.edu Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect th...

Apex-to-base delay in mechanical shortening of LV parallels the apex-to-base direction of the electric activation sequence. Basal subendocardial and apical subepicardial regions deform through a characteristic phase of postsystolic shortening. Short-lived apex-to-base and subendocardial-to-subepicardial relaxation gradients at the onset of diastole may have a physiologic significance in facilitating active restoration of the LV cavity in diastole.

Until recently the left atrium had been subordinate to the left ventricle, but cardiologists now recognize that left atrial (LA) function is indispensable to normal circulatory performance. Transthoracic two-dimensional (2D) and Doppler echocardiography can elucidate parameters of LA function non-invasively. Yet, with the advent of 2D speckle-tracking echocardiography, we are able to detect early LA dysfunction even before structural changes occur. This is pivotal in some common disease states, such as atrial fibrillation, hypertension, and heart failure, in which LA deformation parameters can influence clinical management. However, a unique standardized technique to investigate LA deformation needs to be validated.

BackgroundAlzheimer’s disease (AD) dementia is a consequence of heterogeneous and complex interactions of age-related neurodegeneration and vascular-associated pathologies. Evidence has accumulated that there is increased atherosclerosis/arteriosclerosis of the intracranial arteries in AD and that this may be additive or synergistic with respect to the generation of hypoxia/ischemia and cognitive dysfunction. The effectiveness of pharmacologic therapies and lifestyle modification in reducing cardiovascular disease has prompted a reconsideration of the roles that cardiovascular disease and cerebrovascular function play in the pathogenesis of dementia.MethodsUsing two-dimensional phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging, we quantified cerebral blood flow within the internal carotid, basilar, and middle cerebral arteries in a group of individuals with mild to moderate AD (n = 8) and compared the results with those from a group of age-matched nondemented control (NDC) subjects (n = 9). Clinical and psychometric testing was performed on all individuals, as well as obtaining their magnetic resonance imaging-based hippocampal volumes.ResultsOur experiments reveal that total cerebral blood flow was 20% lower in the AD group than in the NDC group, and that these values were directly correlated with pulse pressure and cognitive measures. The AD group had a significantly lower pulse pressure (mean AD 48, mean NDC 71; P = 0.0004). A significant group difference was also observed in their hippocampal volumes. Composite z-scores for clinical, psychometric, hippocampal volume, and hemodynamic data differed between the AD and NDC subjects, with values in the former being significantly lower (t = 12.00, df = 1, P = 0.001) than in the latter.ConclusionThese results indicate an association between brain hypoperfusion and the dementia of AD. Cardiovascular disease combined with brain hypoperfusion may participate in the pathogenesis/pathophysiology of neurodegenerative diseases. Future longitudinal and larger-scale confirmatory investigations measuring multidomain parameters are warranted.

Background-Multiple lines of evidence suggest cardiovascular co-morbidities hasten the onset of Alzheimer's disease (AD) or accelerate its course.Methods-To evaluate the utility of cerebral vascular physical function/condition parameters as potential systemic indicators of AD, we employed transcranial Doppler (TCD) ultrasound to assess cerebral blood flow and vascular resistance of the 16 arterial segments comprising the circle of Willis and its major tributaries.Results-Our study revealed decreased arterial mean flow velocity (MFV) and increased pulsatility index (PI) are associated with a clinical diagnosis of presumptive AD. Cerebral blood flow impairment revealed by these parameters reflects the global hemodynamic and structural consequences of a multifaceted disease process yielding diffuse congestive microvascular pathology, increased arterial rigidity, and decreased arterial compliance combined with putative age-associated cardiovascular output declines.