Estimation of left ventricular activation sequence in patients with heart failure using two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography

Evaluation of longitudinal strain (LS) from two-dimensional echocardiography is useful for global and regional left ventricular (LV) dysfunction assessment. We determined whether the LS reflects contraction process in patients with asynchronous LV activation. We studied 144 patients with an ejection fraction ≤ 35%, who had left bundle branch block (LBBB, n = 42), right ventricular apical (RVA) pacing (n = 34), LV basal- or mid-lateral pacing (n = 23), and no conduction block (Narrow-QRS, n = 45). LS distribution maps were constructed using 3 standard apical views. The times from the QRS onset-to-early systolic positive peak (Q-EPpeak) and late systolic negative peak (Q-LNpeak) were measured to determine the beginning and end of contractions in each segment. Negative strain in LBBB initially appeared in the septum and basal-lateral contracted late. In RVA and LV pacing, the contracted area enlarged centrifugally from the pacing site. Narrow-QRS showed few regional differences in strain during the systolic period. The Q-EPpeak and Q-LNpeak exhibited similar sequences characterized by septum to basal-lateral via the apical regions in LBBB, apical to basal regions in RVA pacing, and lateral to a relatively large delayed contracted area between the apical- and basal-septum in LV pacing. Differences in Q-LNpeaks between the apical and basal segments in delayed contracted wall were 107 ± 30 ms in LBBB, 133 ± 46 ms in RVA pacing, and 37 ± 20 ms in LV pacing (p < 0.05, between QRS groups). Specific LV contraction processes were demonstrated by evaluating the LS distribution and time-to-peak strain. These evaluations may have potential to estimate the activation sequence in patients with asynchronous LV activation.