Left ventricular vortices as observed by vector flow mapping: main determinants and their relation to left ventricular filling.

Background: Swirling flow, organized in vortices, contributes to adequate left ventricular function. In this study, we apply a novel echocardiographic flow-mapping technique, vector flow mapping (VFM), to evaluate the main characteristics of left ventricular vortices and its relation to filling parameters.

Methods: Forty-eight subjects underwent conventional transthoracic echocardiographic examination with additional intracardiac flow assessment with VFM using a Aloka Alpha-10 system and experimental VFM analysis software.

Flow mapping inside a left ventricular aneurism: a potential tool to demonstrate thrombogenicity.

We describe the use of vector flow mapping (VFM), a novel echocardiographic technique allowing intracardiac flow visualization, to quantify flow intensity inside a left ventricular aneurysm in a 68-year-old man. VFM successfully identified areas of stagnant flow corresponding to the wall region where a thrombus had been formed.