Assessment of left ventricular systolic function in patients with chronic heart failure by twodimensional speckle tracking imaging

AIM:To evaluate the left ventricular systolic functions in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) by twodimensional speckle tracking (2D-STI) echocardiography. METHODS: Conventional echocardiography was performed in 35 CHF patients and 25 normal subjects for left atrial diameter (LAD), left ventricular diameter (LVD) and left ventricular end systolic volume (LVESV), left ventricular end diastolic volume (LVEDV), and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). From standard apical fourchamber view, twochamber view and longaxis of the left ventricle, the maximum strain was measured by 2D-STI and the structure and the peak systolic strain between CHF group and normal group were compared. RESULTS: Compared with those in normal subjects, left ventricular parameters in CHF patients increased significantly, cardiac functions decreased and the longitudinal strain was significantly lower (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Twodimensional speckle tracking is of clinical importance in systolic function evaluation in CHF patients.