Tissue Doppler echocardiography: Historical perspective and technological considerations

Tissue Doppler echocardiography is a new ultrasonographic approach to the q uantification of myocardial function. It is based on the interrogation of t he high amplitude, low velocity reflected ultrasound signals from the myoca rdium. Velocity data can be obtained during pulsed- or color Doppler method ologies. Color Doppler data can be processed to determine regional accelera tion, strain, strain rate, delay, and amplitude of motion. Color myocardial Doppler frame rates of up to 200 s(-1) can be implemented by parallel proc essing of the data, thus overcoming the early temporal resolution limitatio ns of the technique.