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. 2017 Sep;25(3):91-97.
doi: 10.4250/jcu.2017.25.3.91. Epub 2017 Sep 29.

Current Awareness and Use of the Strain Echocardiography in Routine Clinical Practices: Result of a Nationwide Survey in Korea

Ju-Hee Lee  1 , Jae-Hyeong Park  2 , Seung Woo Park  3 , Woo-Shik Kim  4 , Il Suk Sohn  5 , Jung Yeon Chin  6 , Jung Sun Cho  7 , Ho-Joong Youn  8 , Hae Ok Jung  8 , Sun Hwa Lee  9 , Seong-Hwan Kim  10 , Wook-Jin Chung  11 , Chi Young Shim  12 , Jin-Won Jeong  13 , Eui-Young Choi  14 , Se-Joong Rim  14 , Jang-Young Kim  15 , Kye Hun Kim  16 , Joon-Han Shin  17 , Dae-Hee Kim  18 , Ung Jeon  19 , Jung Hyun Choi  20 , Yong-Jin Kim  21 , Seung Jae Joo  22 , Ki-Hong Kim  23 , Kyoung Im Cho  24 , Goo-Yeong Cho  25
Affiliations

Current Awareness and Use of the Strain Echocardiography in Routine Clinical Practices: Result of a Nationwide Survey in Korea

Ju-Hee Lee et al. J Cardiovasc Ultrasound. 2017 Sep.

Abstract

Background: Because conventional echocardiographic parameters have several limitations, strain echocardiography has often been introduced in clinical practice. However, there are also obstacles in using it in clinical practice. Therefore, we wanted to find the current status of awareness on using strain echocardiography in Korea.

Methods: We conducted a nationwide survey to evaluate current use and awareness of strain echocardiography from the members of the Korean Society of Echocardiography.

Results: We gathered total 321 questionnaires from 25 cardiology centers in Korea. All participants were able to perform or interpret echocardiographic examinations. All participating institutions performed strain echocardiography. Most of our study participants (97%) were aware of speckle tracking echocardiography and 185 (58%) performed it for clinical and research purposes. Two-dimensional strain echocardiography was the most commonly used modality and left ventricle (LV) was the most commonly used cardiac chamber (99%) for clinical purposes. Most of the participants (89%) did not think LV strain can replace LV ejection fraction (LVEF) in their clinical practice. The common reasons for not performing routine use of strain echocardiography was diversity of strain measurements and lack of normal reference value. Many participants had a favorable view of the future of strain echocardiography.

Conclusion: Most of our study participants were aware of strain echocardiography, and all institutions performed strain echocardiography for clinical and research purposes. However, they did not think the LV strain values could replace LVEF. The diversity of strain measurements and lack of normal reference values were common reasons for not using strain echocardiography in clinical practice.

Keywords: Awareness; Strain echocardiography; Survey.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1. Result of questionnaire about clinical usefulness of strain echocardiography in the future. The responders were asked on a scale from 1 to 10, and the higher score means the more favorable response to the question. IHD: ischemic heart disease, HFrEF: heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, CRT: cardiac resynchronization therapy, HFpEF: heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, CMP: cardiomyopathy, OP: operation, VHD: valvular heart disease.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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