M-mode apical systolic excursion: A new and simple method to evaluate global left ventricular longitudinal strain

INTRODUCTION: Since M-mode measurements can assess deformation of specific regions of the left ventricle, we hypothesized that M-mode measurements like M-mode apical systolic excursion (MMASE) and mitral annular plane systolic excursion (MAPSE) may be correlated with left ventricular longitudinal strain (LVLS). METHODS: All subjects of the study underwent a full echocardiographic evaluation and MMASE and MAPSE measurement. Three-dimensional wall motion tracking (3D-WMT) was performed. RESULTS: Thirty-one patients were evaluated. Significant correlations between MAPSE and LVLS (-0.372; p=0.04) and between MMASE and LVLS (-0.398; p=0.027) were found. LVLS was linearly related to MAPSE and MMASE (in mm) as follows: ST=-10.6 -0.4 * MAPSE (r2=0.14) and ST=-13.1 -0.5 * MMASE (r2=0.16). CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that simpler and faster methods than strain based on complex speckle analysis can also have a role in predicting subclinical left ventricular systolic dysfunction.