Segmental Analysis of Color Kinesis Images

BACKGROUND: We describe a method for objective assessment of left ventricular (LV) endocardial wall motion based on Color Kinesis, a new echocardiographic technique that color-encodes pixel transitions between blood and myocardial tissue. METHODS AND RESULTS: We developed a software that analyzes Color Kinesis images and provides quantitative indices of magnitude and timing of regional endocardial motion. Images obtained in 12 normal subjects were used to evaluate the variability in each index. Esmolol, dobutamine, and atropine were used to track variations in LV function in 14 subjects. Objective evaluation of wall motion was tested in 20 patients undergoing dobutamine stress testing. Regional fractional area change, displacement, and radial shortening were displayed as histograms and time curves. Global function was assessed by calculating magnitude and timing of peak ejection or filling rates and mean time of ejection or filling. Patterns of endocardial motion were consistent between normal subjects. Fractional area change and peak ejection rate decreased with esmolol and increased with dobutamine. Time to peak ejection and mean time of contraction were prolonged with esmolol and shortened with dobutamine. Using atropine, we proved that our findings with dobutamine were not secondary to its chronotropic effects. Dobutamine induced regional wall motion abnormalities in 10 patients in 38 segments diagnosed conventionally. Segmental analysis detected abnormalities in 36 of these 38 segments and in an additional 5 of 322 segments. CONCLUSIONS: Analysis of Color Kinesis images allows fast, objective, and automated evaluation of regional wall motion sensitively enough to evaluate clinical dobutamine stress data. This method has significant potential in the diagnosis of myocardial ischemia.