Quantification, repeatability, and reproducibility of feline radial and longitudinal left ventricular velocities by tissue Doppler imaging

Abstract

Repeatability and reproducibility of TDI were adequate for measurement of longitudinal and radial left ventricular motion in healthy awake cats. Validation of TDI is a prerequisite before this new technique can be recommended for clinical use.

Pulsed-wave tissue Doppler imaging of the myocardium of cats with induced thyrotoxicosis

“…This variation can be minimized by always having the examination performed by a single trained observer. It is also known that measurements performed at heart basis (as made in our study) have higher repeatability and reproducibility, than those obtained near heart apex (CHETBOUL et al, 2004). KOFFAS et al (2006) quantified myocardial motion by PW-TDI in 25 healthy cats without chemical restraint, obtaining results close to those described in this article.…”

“…Secondary to the hypermetabolic state promoted by the thyrotoxicosis, it was also verified an elevation of the heart rate by the end of the experimental protocol, which caused a fusion of the diastolic waves in some of the cats. CHETBOUL et al (2004) demonstrated that there is a positive correlation between myocardial velocity and heart rate in a population of 100 healthy cats. As their studied population was remarkably larger than ours, the elevation in the myocardial velocity observed in our experimental group may be attributable to the elevation of heart rate, even though no correlation between these parameters was observed in our study.…”

“…TDI is considered a technique with high repeatability and reproducibility in cats (CHETBOUL et al, 2004;KOFFAS et al, 2006). These aspects are very important because in clinical use, repeated measures are performed over the duration of the myocardial disease.…”

The Effects of Age and Heart Rate on Tricuspid Annular Motion Velocities in Healthy Nonsedated Cats

“…The sample volume used for measuring velocity was 1 mm in kittens and 2 mm in adult cats. 11,17 Real-time 2D color TDI video images were digitally recorded with simultaneous ECG tracings. Off-line analysis of the digital 2D color TDI recordings by means of an integrated measurement system a was done to obtain mean tricuspid annular velocities.…”

Reproducibility of tissue Doppler parameters of asynchrony in patients with advanced LV dysfunction☆

“…Delayed contractions of the lateral wall identified before CRT correlate with chronic improvement in ejection fraction as well as with reduced cardiac volumes after resynchronization. 6 Reproducibility of longitudinal myocardial velocities has been studied in a relatively large pool of experimental animals 7,8 and healthy volunteers 4,9 with good interobserver and intra-observer variability and in small numbers of patients with non-dilated ventricles and mildly reduced ejection fractions. 10,11 Reproducibility of data in patients with dilated ventricles and significantly reduced ejection fraction has only been reported using small groups of patients.…”