Quantification of wave propagation velocity from a colour M-mode Doppler image: implementation and analysis of different methods

Diastolic dysfunction of the left ventricle is a complex sequence of multiple interrelated events, and it is still difficult to understand, diagnose and treat the various abnormalities of diastolic filling. Unfortunately, the standard Doppler echocardiographic modes, used to examine the different diastolic filling patterns of the left ventricle, only provide restricted information on diastolic function. In this paper an automated tool is developed to obtain information about the shape of the spatiotemporal filling pattern. The assessment is based on published methods of P. Brun et al. (1992), H. Takatsuji et al. (1996), M. Stugaard et al. (1993) and N.L. Greenberg et al. (1997). The ventricular filling of a group of 11 hypertensive patients, before and after treatment with the ACE-inhibitor Perindopril, is studied. Stugaard´s, as well as Greenberg´s method show a significant decrease of the wave propagation velocity of the E-wave after treatment. Our first results also indicate differences between the methods in analysing the first or second phase of the early filling wave