Differences in Left Ventricular Twist Related to Age: Speckle Tracking Echocardiographic Data for Healthy Volunteers from Neonate to Age 70 Years

Objective: To determine normal left ventricular (LV) twist characteristics in different age groups and assess changes between neonates and the elderly. Methods: Short‐axis left ventricle images at basal and apical levels were acquired in 274 healthy volunteers (aged 15 days to 72 years) by two‐dimensional echocardiography, and were analyzed off‐line using Speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) software to obtain LV twist measurements. The peak apical rotation (PAr), peak basal rotation (PBr), peak LV twist (Ptw), peak LV twist normalized by LV length (Ptw N ), peak untwisting velocity (PutwV), and isovolumic untwisting% (Iutw%) were measured. Results: LV twist values vary with age. Ptw was higher in older volunteers. PtwN varied inconsistently with age. PutwV and Iutw% were lower in the young and old with a peak in mid–age ranges. Conclusions: STE is an effective noninvasive method to assess LV twist. Age‐related differences in LV twist may reflect maturation and adaptive modulation of LV torsional biomechanics from neonate to the elderly. (Echocardiography 2010;27:1205‐1210)