Left atrial strain imaging differentiates cardiac amyloidosis and hypertensive heart disease.

Echocardiographic diagnosis of cardiac amyloidosis (CA) can be difficult to differentiate from increased left ventricular (LV) wall thickness from hypertensive heart disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate left atrial (LA) function and deformation using strain and strain rate (SR) imaging in cardiac amyloidosis. We reviewed 44 cases of CA confirmed by tissue biopsy or a combination of clinical and cardiac imaging data.

Reproducibility of global left atrial strain and strain rate between novice and expert using multi-vendor analysis software.

Left atrial (LA) strain is an emerging technique with potential applications including arrhythmia prediction in atrial fibrillation and early identification of atrial dysfunction. The aim of this study was to evaluate reproducibility of LA strain and strain rate (SR) using multi-vendor analysis software between novice and expert. For LA strain to be a reliable tool, the technique must be reproducible by observers with variable experience.