Myofiber strain estimation using cDTI, DENSE, and feature tracking.

Myofiber strain (MS) is a promising biomarker of cardiac function, but it requires the combination of cDTI and of a 3D cardiac displacement field. Displacement fields can be measured using DENSE imaging, but with low spatial resolution and limited spatial coverage. Feature tracking (FT) allows the estimation of the displacement directly from cine imaging. In this study, myofiber strains estimated using DENSE and FT were compared on thirty healthy volunteers. The magnitude of myofiber strain calculated with DENSE was higher than with FT (MSDENSE=-0.15[-0.16;-0.14] vs MSFT=-0.11[-0.14;-0.06], p<0.001) but no correlation was found between MSDENSE and MSFT (r=0.14 p=0.47).