Speckle-tracking echocardiography (STE) is an advanced echocardiographic technique that allows a novel approach to the assessment of cardiac physiology through the study of myocardial mechanics. In its three-dimensional (3D) modality, it overcomes the drawbacks inherent to other echocardiographic techniques, namely two-dimensional echocardiography and tissue Doppler imaging. Several research studies and software improvements have led 3D-STE to become a promising tool for accurate evaluation of global and regional cardiac function. This article addresses the image acquisition, analytical methods, and parameters of myocardial mechanics that could be derived from 3D-STE. This systematic guidance may help to establish its usefulness in the global and regional evaluation of cardiac function, and to facilitate its clinical application.

Background-In hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), heterogeneous myocardial hypertrophy and fibrosis are responsible for abnormalities of left ventricular (LV) function. We aimed to characterize LV global and regional myocardial mechanics in HCM, according to segmental hypertrophy and fibrosis. Methods and Results-Fifty-nine patients with HCM underwent standard echocardiography, 3-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography, and cardiac magnetic resonance with late gadolinium enhancement (LGE); all 3 tests were <24 hours apart. Longitudinal, circumferential, and area strains were investigated according to the extent of LGE (no LGE, LGE<10%, and LGE≥10%), segmental thickness (≥15 versus <15 mm), and segmental LGE (LGE versus non-LGE 001).Parameters of global myocardial mechanics showed no association with the extent of LGE; in contrast, the extent of LGE was associated with the extent of hypertrophy. All 3 deformation parameters were attenuated both in segments ≥15 mm in thickness and in those with LGE; adjusted analysis demonstrated that segmental presence of LGE was associated with additional attenuation in myocardial deformation. Conclusions-Both hypertrophy and fibrosis contribute to regional impairment of myocardial shortening in HCM. The extent of hypertrophy is the primary factor altering global myocardial mechanics. Circumferential myocardial shortening seems to be directly involved in preservation of LV systolic performance in HCM. (Circ Cardiovasc Imaging. 2014;7:11-19.)

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