Heart failure & cardiomyopathies
Mechanical Wave Analysis at High Frame-Rate Echocardiography: Feasibility, Determinants, and Normal Ranges
Authors' conclusion
MW measurement, especially AK, is a feasible adjunct to standard echocardiography. However, the normal ranges are wide, even among participants with otherwise normal studies. MW velocities do not seem to be abnormal in subclinical dysfunction.
Study context
- Population
- Asymptomatic participants from a community-based HF surveillance program
- Participants
- 239 participants
- Exposure
- Without overt CVD vs Subclinical dysfunction
- Without overt CVDn = 66reference
- Subclinical dysfunctionn = 103
- Outcome
- Feasibility, key determinants and normal ranges of mechanical wave (MW) velocities at high-frame rate echocardiography
Methodological detailscommunity-based
- Community-based
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Feasibility of manual MW measurement
- Parasternal long-axis (PLAX) view: Atrial kick (AK)
- 80%
- PLAX view: Aortic valve closure (AVC)
- 77%
- PLAX view: Mitral valve closure (MVC)
- 77%
- A4C view: AK
- 91%
- A4C view: AVC
- 85%
- A4C view: MVC
- 62%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
| Outcome | Without overt CVD | Subclinical dysfunction | |
|---|---|---|---|
| MW velocities, PLAX view | |||
| AVC | 3.91 ± 1.82 m/s | Not reported in the abstract | Subclinical dysfunction: not reported in the abstract |
| MVC | 3.58 ± 1.67 m/s | Not reported in the abstract | Subclinical dysfunction: not reported in the abstract |
| AK | 1.77 ± 1.10 m/s | Not reported in the abstract | Subclinical dysfunction: not reported in the abstract |
| MW velocities, A4C view | |||
| AVC | 4.09 ± 1.54 m/s | Not reported in the abstract | Subclinical dysfunction: not reported in the abstract |
| MVC | 5.63 ± 1.61 m/s | Not reported in the abstract | Subclinical dysfunction: not reported in the abstract |
| AK | 1.24 ± 0.38 m/s | Not reported in the abstract | Subclinical dysfunction: not reported in the abstract |
MW velocities in subclinical dysfunction and by echocardiographic findings
- Values generally slightly higher in asymptomatic people with subclinical dysfunction
- Only AK significantly different between normal and abnormal echocardiography
Agreement
- Poor agreement between A4C and PLAX MVC signals, especially with high-velocity measurements
- Little bias within and between observers, but wide limits of agreement for all measures
Original publication
Mechanical Wave Analysis at High Frame-Rate Echocardiography: Feasibility, Determinants, and Normal Ranges. JACC Cardiovasc Imaging. Published 27 August 2025. doi:10.
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it