Quantitative Echocardiographic Image Texture: Normal Contraction-Related Variability

Myocardial tissue characterization using ultrasound is a growing area of investigation which attempts to evaluate the structure of the myocardium by analysis of ultrasound signals. Our laboratory has been exploring the use of texture analysis for the determination of myocardial tissue properties from two-dimensional echocardiographic images. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that echocardiographic image texture varies with cardiac contraction in normal human subjects. In 17 subjects, we obtained long-and short-axis images at end diastole and end systole. Echo image texture was assessed using three classes of quantitative texture measures: run length, gray level difference, and busyness statistics. These statistics measure various attributes of image texture. We found significant contraction-related changes in image texture for the left ventricular posterior wall. This observation is important in that future applications of texture analysis to echocardiographic image data will require that texture be measured at a consistent point in the cardiac cycle. Moreover, it is possible that alteration in the normal variation of texture with cardiac contraction may be a sensitive indicator of abnormal myocardium.