Fully automated AutoStrain demonstrated moderate correlation with manual global longitudinal strain measurements (R = 0.71) in pediatric patients, which improved to R = 0.90 with manual adjustments.
Cross-Sectional (n=168)
No
Does fully-automated and semiautomated Philips AutoStrain accurately measure left ventricular global longitudinal strain compared to manual tracing in pediatric patients with normal hearts?
Fully-automated and semiautomated AutoStrain software correlates well with manual GLS tracing in children, though its accuracy is limited in younger patients and by image quality.
Effect estimate: R 0.71 (95% CI 0.63-0.78)
p-value: p=<0.05
Two-dimensional echocardiography has been shown to be a useful modality for analyzing cardiac deformation parameters. However, the clinical utility of strain analysis is limited by time and training required for manual border tracing. This study aims to assess the feasibility of a "hands-off," measurement program, Philips AutoStrain, for measurements of left-ventricular deformation in children. We hypothesize that AutoStrain may accurately calculate deformation measurements, but its performance may be limited in certain patient populations. Echocardiographic images from 168 patients were analyzed via AutoStrain using fully-automated and semiautomated approaches. GLS were manually traced offline as a reference standard. Autostrain outputs were analyzed for accuracy using percent difference from the reference standard and an accuracy scoring system designed to objectively quantify the precision of Autostrain border tracings at the apex and mitral annuli. Both fully-automated and semiautomated AutoStrain correlated well with manual GLS (Fully-automated R = 0.71, Semiautomated R = 0.90). However, the accuracy of AutoStrain was affected by image axis, patient age, and clear visualization of the LV apex. Fully-automated techniques may lead to a "hands-off" future in assessment of LV deformation in older children, but should be used cautiously in younger children until further refinements in the algorithm are performed.
Kauffman et al. (Mon,) conducted a cross-sectional in Structurally normal hearts (n=168). Fully automated AutoStrain vs. Manual offline strain analysis was evaluated on Correlation of fully automated AutoStrain GLS with manual GLS (R 0.71, 95% CI 0.63-0.78, p=<0.05). Fully automated AutoStrain demonstrated moderate correlation with manual global longitudinal strain measurements (R = 0.71) in pediatric patients, which improved to R = 0.90 with manual adjustments.