EVALUATION OF COLOR KINESIS, A NEW ECHOCARDIOGRAPHIC METHOD FOR ANALYZING REGIONAL WALL-MOTION IN PATIENTS WITH DILATED LEFT-VENTRICLES

The recently developed echocardiographic technology of color kinesis ( CK) displays endocardial motion in color layers on a single end-systol ic 2-dimensional echocardiographic frame. Previous work using this met hod is promising for quantitation of regional function, but there is l imited experience in patients with severely reduced left ventricular f unction. Twenty patients (age 59 +/- 10 years) with dilated cardiomyop athy (left ventricular ejection fraction 22 +/- 8%) underwent CK imagi ng. Endocardial motion was quantitated by measuring the distance of en docardial motion during the systolic interval and also by calculating the endocardial velocity. CK measurements were compared among 4 wall m otion grades (i,e., normal, hypokinetic, akinetic, and dyskinetic) ass essed by qualitative wall motion scoring. There was a significant over all difference (p < 0.0001) in the mean systolic endocardial inward mo tion (i.e., contraction) and outward motion (i.e., expansion) among wa ll motion grades. The mean endocardial outward distance wets significa ntly greater for the dyskinetic segments than for the other grades (p < 0.001). There were also differences in the mean velocity of endocard ial motion among the wall motion grades. In the presence of left bundl e branch block, there was no difference in the mean endocardial inward distance of the hypokinetic, akinetic, and dyskinetic septal segments . We conclude that in the absence of left bundle branch block, normal, hypokinetic, akinetic, and dyskinetic ventricular wall segments may b e distinguished in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy on the basis o f endocardial motion measured with CK. (C) 1997 by Excerpta Medica, In c.