Speckle tracking stress echocardiography in children: interobserver and intraobserver reproducibility and the impact of echocardiographic image quality.

ABSTRACT: Speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) is increasingly used during functional assessments. However, reproducibility and dependence on echocardiographic image quality for speckle tracking stress echocardiography in pediatric patients have not been studied to date. 127 consecutive normotensive children without structural heart disease (mean age 13.4 ± 3.0 years, 50.4% female) underwent a stepwise semisupine cycle ergometric protocol. Left ventricular (LV) myocardial peak strain and strain rate were assessed at rest and during exercise. Interobserver and intraobserver assessments were performed and analyzed regarding echocardiographic image quality. LV peak global strain and strain rate were well reproducible with narrow limits of agreement without any significant bias both at rest and durin

SUBMITTER: Wilke L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6003923 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature