Multi-frame radial basis functions to combine shape and speckle tracking for cardiac deformation analysis in echocardiography

Abstract

Quantitative analysis of left ventricular motion can provide valuable information about cardiac function. Echocardiography is a non-invasive, readily available method that can generate real time images of heart motion. Two methods that have been used to track motion in echocardiography are shape tracking and speckle tracking. Shape tracking provides reliable tracking information on the boundaries of the myocardium, while speckle tracking is reliable across the myocardium. The complementary nature of these methods means that combining them can lead to a better overall understanding of ventricular deformation. The methods presented here use radial basis functions to combine displacements generated from the two methods using information from multiple sequential frames. Ultrasound data was acquired for six canines at baseline and also, for three of these, after myocardial infarction induced by surgical coronary occlusion. Mean segmental radial strain values showed significant decreases in the infarct regions. Comparison to tagged MRI strain values for two of the animals showed good correlation. © 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.