Cardiopathie aux anthracyclines

Evaluation of Subclinical Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction in Chronic Asymptomatic Alcoholics by Speckle Tracking Echocardiography

By using two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography, we aimed to investigate the structural and functional changes on myocardium in chronic asymptomatic alcoholics without any cardiovascular disease. Forty-one consecutive asymptomatic male alcoholics who were admitted to the outpatient alcoholism unit and 30 age matched healthy male volunteers selected as the control group were enrolled in the study. The study group were investigated by using standard two-dimensional echocardiography and speckle tracking echocardiography. The left ventricular (LV) global longitudinal strain and LV global circumferential strain were significantly lower in alcoholics when compared with control subjects. There was no difference in global radial strain between the two groups. To demonstrate the effect of total life time dose of ethanol (TLDE) on echocardiographic abnormalities, we assessed the correlation analysis. There was a nonsignificant weak correlation between global LV circumferential strain and TLDE (r = 0.27, p = 0.083). Speckle tracking echocardiography derived left ventricular systolic function was impaired in chronic alcoholic patients when compared with healthy controls.

Speckle-tracking echocardiography: a new technique for assessing myocardial function

Speckle-tracking echocardiography has recently emerged as a quantitative ultrasound technique for accurately evaluating myocardial function by analyzing the motion of speckles identified on routine 2-dimensional sonograms. It provides non-Doppler, angle-independent, and objective quantification of myocardial deformation and left ventricular systolic and diastolic dynamics. By tracking the displacement of the speckles during the cardiac cycle, strain and the strain rate can be rapidly measured offline after adequate image acquisition. Data regarding the feasibility, accuracy, and clinical applications of speckle-tracking echocardiography are rapidly accumulating. This review describes the fundamental concepts of speckle-tracking echocardiography, illustrates how to obtain strain measurements using this technique, and discusses their recognized and developing clinical applications.