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Background:Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a major cause of cardiovascular mortality. Echocardiography plays a vital role in early detection and treatment. Objectives:We investigated the use of speckle tracking during dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) to diagnose CAD in moderate-risk patients. Materials and Methods:A 4-month cross-sectional study enrolled 42 moderate-risk patients without prior CAD history. Data included questionnaires, echocardiographic measurements, and SPSS analysis. Results:Patients were divided into CAD-negative (66.7%) and CAD-positive (33.3%) groups based on coronary angiography. Speckle tracking during stress correlated better with angiography (kappa = 0.78) than at rest (kappa = 0.21) or stress visualization (kappa = 0.66). Sensitivity and specificity were 71.4% and 92.8% (stress test), 57.1% and 85.7% (speckle at rest), and 85.7% and 92.8% (speckle during stress), respectively. Conclusion:Speckle tracking during DSE is a promising approach for diagnosing CAD in moderate-risk patients, enhancing early intervention possibilities.

Background:Systemic hypertension is an expanding health problem and a major cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Left atrial (LA) strain by speckle tracking is a new echocardiographic modality that can detect impairment in LA function. Objectives:The aim was to analyze the parameters of LA strain in patients with systemic hypertension and compare them to those of normal persons. Materials and Methods:A case–control study was conducted at the echocardiography department of Marjan Medical City in Hillah from February 2023 to June 2023. The study focused on patients with hypertension and compared their 2D echocardiography, Doppler, tissue Doppler, left ventricle global longitudinal strain, and LA strain to those of a control healthy group. Data collection included a questionnaire, echocardiography using the GE Vivid iq machine, and statistical analysis using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 27 software. Results:In total, 100 persons were enrolled in the study; 50 of them were patients with systemic hypertension, and the other 50 were persons with negative medical history. The two groups were age, gender, and body surface area matched. Echocardiographic parameters were compared, concentrating on LA strain and diastolic function parameters. A strong correlation was found between hypertension and LA strain parameters. Reservoir, conduit, and contractile strain were lower in the hypertensive group, while the LA volume and LA indexed volume were statistically larger in the hypertensive group than the control group, with a P value of less than 0.001 in both. Conclusion:LA strain by speckle tracking is affected in systemic hypertension more and even before the diastolic function affection. Earlier detection and treatment of dysfunction can delay or even prevent complications.