Abstract
Tissue Doppler imaging is a new technique that is based on color Doppler imaging principles and enables the quantification of intramural myocardial velocities by the detection of consecutive phase shifts of the ultrasound signal reflected from the contracting myocardium. We evaluated a correlation between myocardial velocity and the extent of wall motion thickening. In 31 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting, the myocardial peak systolic velocity, peak diastolic velocity, and wall motion thickening were assessed in the basal and mid septum during surgery. A correlation was observed between myocardial peak systolic velocity and the extent of wall motion thickening. However, no significant correlation was observed between myocardial diastolic velocity and wall motion thickening. Myocardial systolic velocity which was derived from tissue Doppler imaging appears to be useful for quantification of regional left ventricular function.
