Assessment of left bundle branch related strain dyssynchrony: A comparison with tagged MRI

Mechanical dyssynchrony caused by left bundle branch block (LBBB) negatively affects cardiac performance and can be treated by cardiac resynchronization therapy. Cardiac strain derived from ultrasound (US) images can be used to quantify and visualise this dyssynchrony at a regional level. Speckle tracking echocardiography is the most commonly used technique, however commercially available methods use extensive post-processing techniques resulting in loss of key local information. In this study, we measure strain using US images of the canine left ventricle (LV) and compare this with tagged cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR), the current gold standard for medical strain imaging.