Introducing TAPSE-slope and Assessing Inter-observer Variability of Its
Timing Measurements
Abstract
Purpose: Introducing tricuspid annular systolic excursion
(TAPSE)-slope and assessing inter-observer variability of its timing
measurements Methods: We performed comprehensive Doppler
echocardiographic examinations on 84 healthy subjects (mean age: 36.3
years, range: 30-50 years, 51 women, 33 men). In color-coded M-mode
tracing of right ventricle’s free wall, peak systolic excursion was
defined. TAPSE and time from initial QRS to peak systole in color-coded
M-mode were measured, and TAPSE-slope was calculated based on this
formula: TAPSE slope=TAPSE/TAPSE-t. For the evaluation of inter-observer
variability, two other cardiologists measured TAPSE-t in offline mode
separately. Results: The average (SD) of the “TAPSE-slope”
was 7.0(1.0) cm/sec, the average (SD) TAPSE was 2.42(0.3) cm, and an
average TAPSE-t of 343(27.6) msec. A significant difference was seen in
TAPSE-slope between men and women (P value=0.001). No significant
difference was detected in TAPSE-slope in people younger than 40 years
old compared with participants older than 40 years. Intra-class
correlation coefficient value of the TAPSE-t measurement was 0.886,
showing excellent agreement between three different raters.
Conclusion: TAPSE-slope may have added value compared to TAPSE
alone for the assessment of right ventricular systolic function.