Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

AIMS: Early identification of individuals at high risk of developing cardiovascular (CV) events is of paramount importance for efficient risk management. Here, we investigated whether employing unsupervised machine learning methods on time series data of left atrial (LA) strain could distinguish clinically meaningful phenogroups associated with the risk of developing adverse events. METHODS: In 929 community-dwelling individuals (mean age, 51.6 years; 52.9% women), we acquired clinical and echocardiographic data, including LA strain traces, at baseline and collected cardiac events on average 6...

BACKGROUND: Aortic stenosis (AS) is a common form of valvular heart disease, present in over 12% of the population aged 75 years and above1 . Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is the first line of imaging in the adjudication of AS severity but is time consuming and requires expert sonographic and interpretation capabilities to yield accurate results. Artificial intelligence (AI) technology has emerged as a useful tool to address these limitations but has not yet been applied in a fully hands-off manner to evaluate AS...

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BACKGROUND: Right ventricular (RV) dysfunction is an independent predictor of poor outcomes in patients with tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) and global longitudinal strain (GLS) is a well-validated echocardiographic technique to measure RV function. While trends in RV GLS have been examined in patients with TOF they have not been studied specifically in ductal dependent TOF, a group in which there is not a clear consensus on the best surgical strategy. We sought to assess the mid-term trajectory of RV GLS in ductal dependent TOF patients, drivers of this trajectory, and differences in RV GLS between repair strategies...

AIMS: Assessment of left ventricular (LV) function by echocardiography is hampered by modest test-retest reproducibility. A novel artificial intelligence (AI) method based on deep learning provides fully automated measurements of LV global longitudinal strain (GLS) and may improve the clinical utility of echocardiography by reducing user related variability. The aim of this study was to assess within-patient test-retest reproducibility of LV GLS measured by the novel AI method in repeated echocardiograms recorded by different echocardiographers, and further, to compare the results to manual measurements...

BACKGROUND: Principal strain analysis (PSA) quantifies three-dimensional (3D) myocardial deformation using 3D speckle tracking echocardiography. It defines both amplitude and direction of the principal myocardial contraction, expressed as principal strain (PS), and a perpendicular secondary strain (SS) of lower intensity. We aim to apply PSA to describe the contractile pattern in the single right ventricle (SRV) functioning as a systemic chamber in hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), compared with normal left ventricle (LV) and right ventricle (RV), and to compare SRV function with conventional echocardiographic evaluations...

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INTRODUCTION: A novel technology utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) to provide real-time image-acquisition guidance, enabling novices to obtain diagnostic echocardiographic (echo) images holds promise to expand the reach of echo screening for rheumatic heart disease (RHD). We evaluated the ability of non-experts to obtain diagnostic quality images in patients with RHD using AI guidance with color Doppler. METHODS: Novice providers without prior ultrasound experience underwent a one-day training curriculum to complete a 7-view screening protocol using AI guidance in Kampala, Uganda...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: Diastolic myocardial stiffness (MS) can serve as a key diagnostic parameter for congenital or acquired heart diseases. Using shear modulus and shear wave velocity (SWV), shear wave elastography (SWE) is an emerging ultrasound-based technique that can allow non-invasive assessment of MS. However, MS extrinsic parameters such as left ventricular geometrical characteristics could impact on shear wave propagation. OBJECTIVES: To determine a range of normal values of MS using SWE in age groups of healthy children and young adults and to explore the impact of left ventricular geometrical characteristics on SWE...

Transcatheter therapies for structural heart disease continue to grow at a rapid pace, and echocardiography is the primary imaging modality used to support such procedures. Transesophageal echocardiographic guidance of structural heart disease procedures must be performed by highly skilled echocardiographers who can provide rapid, accurate, and high-quality image acquisition and interpretation in real time. Training standards are needed to ensure that interventional echocardiographers have the necessary expertise to perform this complex task...

BACKGROUND: Abnormal atrioventricular and intraventricular electrical conduction and dysfunction of the functional right ventricle (fRV) are common in Ebstein anomaly (EA). However, fRV mechanical dyssynchrony and its relation to fRV function are poorly characterized. We evaluated fRV mechanical dyssynchrony in EA patients in relation to fRV remodeling, dysfunction and exercise intolerance. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed data from non-operated EA patients and age-matched controls who underwent echocardiography, cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) and cardiopulmonary exercise testing to quantify RV remodeling, dysfunction and exercise capacity...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: Dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) remains a widely used method for detection of coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with end stage liver disease (ESLD) despite low sensitivity. Speckle tracking assessment of strain may enhance the sensitivity of DSE in the general population but the value of strain analysis in ESLD is unknown. METHODS: DSE with two-dimensional speckle tracking and quantitative coronary angiography were performed in 146 patients with ESLD...

BACKGROUND: Right ventricular (RV) systolic function is an established marker of outcomes in patients with severe tricuspid regurgitation (TR). Timely detection of RV dysfunction with conventional 2D echocardiography is challenging. RV strain has emerged as an accurate and sensitive tool for evaluation of RV function with the capability of detecting subclinical RV dysfunction. This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of RV strain parameters in early stages of severe TR. METHODS: Consecutive patients with at least (≥) severe TR (severe, massive or torrential TR) and absence of a formal indication for tricuspid valve intervention in secondary TR evaluated in the Heart Valve Clinic were prospectively included...

BACKGROUND: Repaired Tetralogy of Fallot (RTOF) patients will develop right ventricular (RV) dysfunction from chronic pulmonary insufficiency (PR). Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) sequences such as 4D flow can demonstrate altered vorticity and flow energy loss (FEL), however they are not as available as conventional echocardiography (echo). The study determined whether a novel, vendor-independent Doppler Velocity Reconstruction (DoVeR) could measure RV intracardiac flow in conventional echo of RTOF patients...

INTRODUCTION: Early detection of rheumatic heart disease (RHD) through echocardiographic screening can facilitate early access to effective treatment which reduces the risk of progression. Accurate, feasible approaches to echocardiographic screening that can be incorporated into routine health services are needed. We hypothesized that offsite expert review could improve the diagnostic accuracy of non-expert obtained echocardiographic images. METHODS: This prospective cross-sectional study was performed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of health-worker conducted single parasternal-long-axis-view-sweep of the heart (SPLASH) using hand-carried ultrasound (HCU) for the detection of RHD in high-risk populations in Timor-Leste and Australia...