The analysis of mechanical remodelling as an approach to the assessment of the myocardium contractility

This work proposes a new method of analyzing the regional kinematics of the left ventricular (LV) wall, based on a frame-by-frame study of its motion in the full cardiac cycle. The information about LV wall kinematics is represented in the form of a surface in a multidimensional system of coordinates where every coordinate corresponds to the area change of an LV region in the course of the cardiac cycle. As a result of the quantitative analysis of the given surfaces, the indices of the mechanical activity of the LV wall were determined, i.e. those of the inhomogeneity and asynchrony of its motion, during systole, diastole, and the full cardiac cycle. The character of the mechanical remodelling of the LV wall was studied in 150 patients with various heart diseases. Common patterns of heart remodelling in pathological conditions were found. It was shown that changes in mechanical activity precede structural changes. The interrelation of the LV mechanical remodelling parameters to the indices of its global contractility was established