Heart failure (HF) is an extremely major health problem with gradually increasing incidence in developed and developing countries. HF may lead to cardiac remodeling; thus, advanced imaging techniques are required to comprehensively evaluate cardiac mechanics. Recently, three-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography (3D-STE) has been developed as a novel imaging technology that is based on the three-dimensional speckle-tracking on the full volume three-dimensional datasets. Three-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography allows a more accurate evaluation of global and regional myocardial performance, assessment of cardiac mechanics, detection of subclinical cardiac dysfunction, and prediction of adverse clinical events in a variety of cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, this review summarizes the clinical usefulness of 3D-STE in patients with HF.

Right ventricular (RV) function has important prognostic value in a variety of cardiovascular diseases. Due to complex anatomy and mode of contractility, conventional two-dimensional echocardiography does not provide sufficient and accurate RV function assessment. Currently, three-dimensional echocardiography (3DE) allows for an excellent and reproducible assessment of RV function owing to overcoming these limitations of traditional echocardiography. This review focused on 3DE and discussed the following points: (i) acquisition of RV dataset for 3DE images, (ii) reliability, feasibility, and reproducibility of RV volumes and function measured by 3DE with different modalities, (iii) the clinical application of 3DE for RV function quantification.

Background: Left atrioventricular valvular regurgitation (LAVVR) recurrence after partial and transitional atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD) repair is the main risk factor associated with reoperation or mortality. The purpose of this study was to identify risk factors associated with the recurrence of LAVVR after surgical repair of transitional and partial AVSD at a single institution. Methods: A hundred and fifty-seven patients who underwent anatomical repair for partial and transitional AVSD from January 2013 to December 2021 were included in our institutional database. Demographic characteristics, operative information, comorbidities, complications, and outcomes were retrieved from electronic medical records. Echocardiographic evaluations included cardiac dimensions, the degree of LAVVR, and the anatomy of the atrioventricular valve. Results: After a median follow-up period of 5.8 years, 40 patients had recurrent moderate or even more severe LAVVR. Compared with patients without recurrent LAVVR, those experiencing LAVVR recurrence were more likely to have larger preoperative left atrial (LA) size and larger left ventricular (LV) size after standardization, larger left atrioventricular valve (LAVV) cleft width, higher proportions of preoperative moderate or even more severe LAVVR, and immediately postoperative mild to moderate or even more severe LAVVR. Univariate Cox regression analysis showed that age at first repair, height, LA size after standardization, LV size after standardization, the severity of preoperative LAVVR, immediately postoperative LAVVR, and the LAVV cleft width more than 1cm were risk factors for recurrent LAVVR (P<0.05 for all). Multivariable Cox regression analysis showed that mild to moderate or even more severe LAVVR postoperatively [hazard ratio (HR) 9.53, 95% confidence interval (CI): 3.78–24.01; P<0.001], the width of LAVV cleft more than 1 cm (HR: 3.90, 95% CI: 1.80–8.48; P<0.001) and age at first repair (HR: 0.45, 95% CI: 0.31–0.66; P<0.001) were independently associated with the recurrence of LAVVR. Conclusions: The width of LAVV cleft, mild to moderate or even more severe LAVVR immediately after surgery, and age at initial surgery are risk factors for recurrent LAVVR. The presence of recurrent LAVVR necessitates proactive surveillance to facilitate timely reintervention.

Background: Papillary muscles (PMs) are important for mitral valve competence and left ventricular mechanics, but accurate evaluation is often limited by poor visualization in conventional echocardiographic views. We developed papillary muscle–targeted (PM-targeted) echocardiographic views to improve PM visualization and aimed to validate this approach and establish normative reference values in healthy adults. Methods: In protocol 1, posteromedial papillary muscle (PPM) length and maximum diameter measured using PM-targeted and standard views were compared with anatomic measurements in ten ex vivo porcine hearts. In protocol 2, measurements of the anterolateral papillary muscle (APM) and PPM were compared between PM-targeted and standard views in 100 healthy adults. In protocol 3, PM structural, spatial, and functional parameters were measured using PM-targeted views in 245 healthy adults. In protocol 4, PM measurements obtained from 2D PM-targeted views were compared with 3D echocardiographic measurements in 50 patients with ventricular functional mitral regurgitation (VFMR); PM parameters in VFMR were also compared with those in healthy adults. Results: In protocol 1, PM-targeted views showed stronger correlation with anatomic measurements for PPM length than standard views (0.966 vs. 0.752, p = 0.049), while standard views underestimated PPM length. In protocol 2, PM-targeted views enabled complete visualization of APM and PPM and yielded longer PM lengths and smaller maximum diameters than standard views. In protocol 3, males had larger PM maximum diameters and longer tip-to-annulus distances than females (all p < 0.05). With aging, interpapillary distance reduction (ΔIPMD), IPMD fractional shortening (IPMD-FS), and APM length decreased, whereas end-systolic IPMD increased (all p < 0.05). PM parameters correlated positively with body surface area (all p < 0.05). In protocol 4, PM measurements obtained from 2D PM-targeted views showed no differences from 3D echocardiographic measurements and demonstrated good correlation and agreement across assessed PM parameters against 3D echocardiographic measurement as a standard reference. Compared with healthy adults, patients with VFMR showed altered PM geometry/remodeling patterns. Conclusions: PM-targeted echocardiographic views improve visualization and measurement of papillary muscles and provide normative reference values, facilitating more accurate evaluation of PM-related abnormalities in clinical practice.