Speckle-Tracking Strain Echocardiography for the Assessment of Left Ventricular Structure and Function: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association

Assessment of left ventricular systolic function is essential for diagnosing and managing cardiac diseases and provides important prognostic information to the treating clinician. However, traditional methods for assessing left ventricular systolic function such as ejection fraction are limited by their reliance on geometric assumptions, subjective reader interpretation, sensitivity to loading conditions and volume, and reflection of a single plane of motion. In addition to interobserver and intraobserver variability and technical confounders, this evaluation is complicated by the complex 3-dimensional organization of the myocardial fibers, which are oriented longitudinally in the subendocardium, transversely…