New Parameter Derived from Three-Dimensional Speckle-Tracking Echocardiography for the Estimation of Left Ventricular Filling Pressure in Nondilated Hearts.

Background: E/e' is clinically useful for the noninvasive assessment of left ventricular (LV) filling pressure. However, its use in some conditions is controversial, and angle dependence of the Doppler measurement and preload dependence of mitral e' in nondilated hearts represent major problems. The ratio of early filling rate derived from the time derivative of LV volume to early diastolic strain rate (FRe/SRe), similar to E/e', by three-dimensional (3D) speckle-tracking echocardiography has the potential to address such limitations.

Energy loss in the left ventricle obtained by vector flow mapping as a new quantitative measure of severity of aortic regurgitation: a combined experimental and clinical study.

Aims: In aortic regurgitation (AR), energy loss (EL) produced by inefficient turbulent flow may be a burden to the heart predicting decompensation. We attempted to quantify EL in AR induced in an acute dog model and in patients with chronic AR using novel echocardiographic method vector flow mapping (VFM).

Methods And Results: In 11 anaesthetized open-chest dogs, AR was induced by distorting the aortic valve with a pigtail catheter, in totally 20 cases.