17/02/2025
Global Longitudinal Strain (GLS) is an echocardiographic parameter that measures the deformation of the left ventricle in the longitudinal direction. It's a more sensitive and earlier indicator of left ventricular systolic dysfunction compared to traditional measures like ejection fraction (EF).
Here are some key points about GLS:
1. Measurement: GLS is derived from speckle tracking echocardiography, which analyzes the movement of speckles (natural acoustic markers) in the myocardium during the cardiac cycle.
2. Clinical Importance: GLS can detect subtle changes in left ventricular function, making it useful for early diagnosis and monitoring of conditions like cardiotoxicity from chemotherapy, hypertension, diabetes, and obesity.
3. Normal Value: In adults, a GLS of less than -16% is considered abnormal, while a GLS of more than -18% is considered normal.
4. Applications: GLS is used in various clinical scenarios, including evaluating patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, amyloidosis, aortic stenosis, and mitral regurgitation.