[Area strain: normal values for a new parameter in healthy people].

The echocardiographic technology known as three-dimensional wall motion tracking offers three-dimensional images of the myocardium and provides multiple measures of deformation, one of which is known as "area strain" (AS), which combines left ventricular longitudinal and circumferential deformations. Our aim was to describe the normal maximum systolic reference AS value in a sample of healthy subjects. Sixty consecutive subjects without known cardiovascular risk factors or diseases were enrolled, and left ventricular AS was measured. Overall mean AS was -38.87 ± 5.89%. Mean values at the level of the basal, middle, and apical segments were -38.42 ± 7.58%, -38.74 ± 6.34%, and -43.18 ± 12.81%, respectively. Thus, our results show for the first time the reference values for AS in healthy subjects.