Subclinical ventricular dysfunction detected by speckle tracking two years after use of anthracycline.

Background: Heart failure is a severe complication associated with doxorubicin (DOX) use. Strain, assessed by two-dimensional speckle tracking (2D-STE), has been shown to be useful in identifying subclinical ventricular dysfunction.

Objectives: a) To investigate the role of strain in the identification of subclinical ventricular dysfunction in patients who used DOX; b) to investigate determinants of strain response in these patients.