Speckle Tracking Echocardiography

Strain by Speckle-Tracking Echocardiography (STE): Strain analysis allows for segmental systolic and diastolic functional assessment in different planes, looking at longitudinal, circumferential, radial and rotational mechanics. Strain is the incremental distance change between two myocardial areas at two specific time points (%), and strain rate is the speed at which this deformation occurs (1/second). The software used for strain assessment by STE identifies gray-scale speckles (echodensities) that compose the ultrasound images. Speckles are composed of ultrasound reflectors of myocardial tissue. They are tracked on a frame by frame basis to measure the magnitude (or percentage) of deformation of individual myocardial segments. At the Montreal Children's Hospital, in the NeoCardio Lab, we use the TomTec software (thanks for the generous donation of Just For Kids Foundation). With the TomTec Arena platform, we are able to obtain speckle-tracking echocardiography derived strain and strain rate assessment by tracking endocardial border speckles through cardiac cycles and in a perpendicular motion to the trace (inward and outward). 

3D Echocardiography

At the NeoCardio Lab - we are using advanced echocardiography techniques in order to obtrain a full grasp of cardiovascular function in neonatal populations. We have the capacity to derive 3D full volume images on neonates, pediatric, adolescent and adult participants. With the TomTec Arena platform, we have capacity to do 3D rendering of the left ventricle and right ventricle.