Speckle tracking ultrasonography as a new tool to assess diaphragmatic function: a feasibility study

Ultrasonography

Christian Simon Bruells¹  Leo Heunks²  Gernot Marx³  Johannes Bickenbach³  Sebastian Johannes Fritsch³  Andreas Goetzenich⁴  Rüdiger Autschbach⁴  Nima Hatam⁴ 

[1] Department of Anesthesiology, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany;Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands;Department of Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany;Department of Thoracic and Cardio-Vascular Surgery, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany;

关键词: diaphragm;    ultrasonography;    speckle tracking ultrasound;    fractional thickening;   

DOI  :  10.14366/usg.21044

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

A reliable method of measuring diaphragmatic function at the bedside is still lacking. Widely used two-dimensional (2D) ultrasonographic measurements, such as diaphragm excursion, diaphragm thickness, and fractional thickening (FT) have failed to show clear correlations with diaphragmatic function. A reason for this is that 2D ultrasonographic measurements, like FT, are merely able to measure the deformation of muscular diaphragmatic tissue in the transverse direction, while longitudinal measurements in the direction of contracting muscle fibres are not possible. Speckle tracking ultrasonography, which is widely used in cardiac imaging, overcomes this disadvantage and allows observations of movement in the direction of the contracting muscle fibres, approximating muscle deformation and the deformation velocity. Several studies have evaluated speckle tracking as a promising method to assess diaphragm contractility in healthy subjects. This technical note demonstrates the feasibility of speckle tracking ultrasonography of the diaphragm in a group of 20 patients after an aortocoronary bypass graft procedure. The results presented herein suggest that speckle tracking ultrasonography is able to depict alterations in diaphragmatic function after surgery better than 2D ultrasonographic measurements.

【 授权许可】

Unknown