Does non-invasive myocardial work analysis during stress testing improve prediction of treatment response and prognosis in normal individuals, patients at-risk for heart failure, and heart failure patients?
Non-invasive myocardial work analysis during stress testing shows potential for predicting treatment response and prognosis, but further research is needed to address current knowledge gaps.
For over a decade, non-invasive myocardial work (MW) analysis, employing pressure-strain loops derived from strain deformation echocardiography, has been extensively studied across various left heart conditions. Recently, interest in MW variation during physical exercise or pharmacological stress testing has emerged. However, existing studies often involve heterogeneous populations, leaving the clinical significance of MW indices variation poorly understood. This review aims to systematically evaluate the literature on non-invasive MW parameter techniques and their changes during stress testing. MW analysis provides critical insights into cardiac function, aiding in the detection of underlying disease, such as coronary artery disease and heart failure. While numerous studies in diverse clinical settings have focused on MW assessment at rest, stress MW indices may more effectively predict treatment response and prognosis. Nevertheless, the current literature remains limited. Future research should prioritize addressing these knowledge gaps to fully harness the potential of MW analysis in clinical practice.
Guz et al. (Wed,) studied this question.