MYOCARDIAL WALL VELOCITY ASSESSMENT BY PULSED DOPPLER TISSUE IMAGING - CHARACTERISTIC FINDINGS IN NORMAL SUBJECTS

To validate the use of pulsed Doppler tissue imaging that measures myo cardial wall velocities and to define the characteristics of these vel ocities in normal subjects, we obtained and compared the anteroseptal and posterior wall velocities in 24 volunteers with pulsed Doppler tis sue imaging and digitized M-mode echocardiography. We also studied the relation between velocity components and hemodynamic events timed by standard Doppler flows. There was an excellent correlation between Dop pler and AR-mode-derived velocities (r = 0.95, p < 0.001), with higher reproducibility for Doppler (r = 0.99) than for M-mode (r = 0.95, p < 0.001). Biphasic velocities that were uniformly present during isovol umic contraction and relaxation were attributed to geometric changes d ue to asynchronous contraction and ventricular interdependence. We con clude that wall velocities obtained by pulsed Doppler tissue imaging a re accurate and reproducible. This method may prove useful for studyin g the contractile and elastic properties of the myocardium.