Factor analysis of the left ventricle by echocardiography (FALVE): a new tool for detecting regional wall motion abnormalities.

BACKGROUND Factor analysis of the left ventricle in echography was developed to study the regional wall motion. Two factors and associated factor images were estimated using specific constraints: one "constant" factor and another "contraction-relaxation" factor. The constant factor was encoded in green, the positive component of the contraction in red and the negative in blue. METHODS The evaluation was carried out on 12 patients with LBBB or pacemaker (group A), and on 26 others (group B). The segments were graded separately on the cine-loops by three experienced echocardiographers. Similarly, the three-color combination of the factor images was read at the endocardial border and each segment was scored. RESULTS An absolute concordance was obtained for 64.8% of the segments and a relative concordance (within one grade) for 97.2%. They were 71% and 99.6% in group B. Most of the discordant cases were explained by the global motion during the cardiac cycle. The standard deviation of the difference between the mean wall motion scores was 0.38 for all the patients; it was reduced to 0.30 in group B. CONCLUSION Factor analysis is a promising tool to study the regional wall motion. It might become useful for assessing segmental wall motion in 2D and 3D echo.