The study describes a novel algorithm for deriving myocardial strain from an entire cardiac cycle using high-frame-rate ultrasound images. Validation of the tracking algorithm was conducted in vitro prior to the application to patient images. High-frame-rate ultrasound images were acquired in vivo from 10 patients, and strain curves were derived in six myocardial regions around the left ventricle from the apical four-chamber view. Strain curves derived from high-frame-rate images had a higher frequency content than those derived using conventional methods, reflecting improved temporal sampling.
Keywords: Algorithm; Deformation imaging; Echocardiology; Feature; Feature tracking; High frame rate; Speckle; Speckle tracking; Strain; Ultrasound.
Copyright © 2016 World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.