Introduction
The right ventricle (RV) has a significant role in morbidity and
mortality of cardiac diseases, but due to its complex anatomy,
evaluation of RV function is not so easy and has always been a challenge
in echocardiography. In the latest ”Recommendations For Cardiac Chamber
Quantification”1 , measurement of at least one of the
following indices: Fractional area change (FAC), the peak systolic
velocity of lateral tricuspid annulus wave by tissue Doppler imaging
(S’), Tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE), and RV index
of myocardial performance (RIMP) has been recommended. Measurement of
TAPSE is a practical and straight forward method reflecting longitudinal
RV function. Although this parameter is load dependent, multiple studies
have shown its utility in various clinical situations such as pulmonary
embolism2,3, pulmonary
hypertension2, chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease3 and post cardiac surgery 4.
TAPSE measures the longitudinal movement of the tricuspid annulus during
systole, but we think measuring the velocity of this excursion utilizing
”TAPSE-slope” may add to its value. TAPSE less than 17 mm is associated
with RV systolic dysfunction; nevertheless, categorizing RV systolic
dysfunction as mild, moderate, and severe based on TAPSE measure is not
mentioned in the available guidelines and nor is it routinely performed
in clinical practice. In this study, we measured normal values of
”TAPSE-slope”. As this was a new index, we also calculated the
inter-observer variability of TAPSE-t measurements.