Speckle tracking echocardiography: principles and clinical applications

Speckle Tracking Echocardiography is a relatively new, non-invasive ultrasound technique that allows an objective and quantitative evaluation of global and regional myocardial function. There is a lot of evidence that global longitudinal strain is more sensitive than the left ventricular ejection fraction for the assessment of left ventricular dysfunction, is used to follow-up cancer therapeutic-related cardiac dysfunction, stratify risks, classify and determine treatment in the asymptomatic left ventricular dysfunction. Thus, this technique can help identify ventricular function and subclinical cardiac dysfunction, even when the ejection fraction is normal. Currently, speckle tracking echocardiography has been standardized and applied to evaluate left ventricular function, right ventricular function and left atrial function according to the consensus of American Society Echocardiography and European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging. Key words: Speckle Tracking Echocardiography, left ventricular ejection fraction, global longitudinal strain