A Practical Guide to Echocardiographic Global Longitudinal Strain (GLS) by 2D Speckle Tracking

Vesna Mihajlovic MD

Objectives:

1. Understand the limitations of using LVEF as a marker of systolic function
2. Develop an understanding of how myocardial anatomy correlates to myocardial tissue deformation during contraction
3. Understand that strain is a measure of myocardial tissue deformation
4. Briefly summarize the clinical relevance of strain
5. Develop a gross understanding of the principles behind speckle tracking software
6. Demonstrate the technical steps required to obtain strain data
7. Identify normal and abnormal features on strain curves
8. Identify potential errors in strain analysis