New visualisation methods of electromechanical left ventricular contraction asynchrony

Recent attention for asynchronous left ventricular (LV) contraction in various patients generates the need for synchrony assessment. A system for quantitation of electromechanical LV contraction synchrony by three-dimensional echocardiography (3DE) and semiautomatic endocardial contour detection was used. MatLab^TM software was generated to create new visualisation methods of LV asynchrony. In order to make the plots interpretable for doctors, 16 segment bulls eye plots were chosen. This new methods were evaluated with data acquired in 26 patients, providing quantitation of LV electromechanical contraction synchrony, of which in 8 patients before and after implantation of a biventricular pacemaker.