Description

Speckle tracking echocardiography has been validated in healthy anesthetized dogs against sonomicrometry and demonstrated to provide accurate measurements of left ventricular (LV) dimensions, strains and twist. Additionally, various deformation parameters have shown good correlation with invasive indices of LV function, and a good correlation between strain and SR values derived from color TDI and 2-D STE has been demonstrated.
Various studies have confirmed the feasibility of the technique in dogs, and the adequate repeatability and reproducibility of STE-derived LV deformation parameters for research and clinical use. Deformation parameters obtained via 2-D STE can be influenced by factors such as body size, breed, age and heart rate.
Although the most common use of 2-D STE is to aid the analysis of LV function, its utility in the functional assessment of the left atrium and right ventricle has also been demonstrated in humans. The feasibility of the technique for analysis of left atrial and right ventricular function has also been investigated in healthy dogs, and it proved to be reliable.