Quantitative echocardiographic assessment of myocardial acceleration in normal left ventricle by using velocity vector imaging.

To investigate the characteristics of myocardial acceleration in normal left ventricular walls, velocity vector imaging was performed in 30 normal volunteers. Peak accelerations during early systole and early diastole and time to peak acceleration during early systole were calculated for each segment of the standard 16-segment model. A gradient of accelerations from base to apex and a homogeneity of accelerations among different walls at the same level were observed. There were homogeneities of time to peak acceleration during early systole in both longitudinal and latitudinal directions on left ventricular walls. In 82.29% of all segments, the onset of contraction acceleration during early systole could not be identified. Further research with larger populations is needed to clarify the role of myocardial acceleration in the assessment of the site of initial electrical stimulation and the sequence of ventricular depolarization.