ABC | Volume 114, Nº3, March 2020

Original Article Sousa et al. Software: analysis of strain curves Arq Bras Cardiol. 2020; 114(3):496-506 Figure 11 – Differences and means of global longitudinal strain (GLS) values obtained by EchoPAC and D-station. Differences in GLS (EchoPAC-D-Station) Mean GLS (GLS_EchoPAC & GLS_EchoPAC) Mean - 1.96SD Mean + 1.96SD Bias = –0.03 Finally, future updates may expand the possibilities of analysis, including st rain radial, circumferential and Twist, as well as the optimization of the interface between proprietary softwares, by incorporating strain parameters, Doppler signals, chamber volumes, tissue Doppler, among others. This will allow the automated extraction of many new, pre-established parameters at the user’s discretion. Limitations The current version of the D-Station software does not allow the update of visualizations. In other words, to alter the chamber selection and its strain/SR curves, the user must restart the program. The same occurs in case of erroneous definition of the points on the ECG curve. Differences in the measurement of cardiac strain between manufacturers are a critical issue in speckle tracking, as previously discussed by Mirea et al. 18 Further studies are needed to evaluate the impact of this software on discrepancies between manufacturers. Conclusion TheD-Station software is an additional tool for the assessment of strain curves obtained by raw data exported from another proprietary software, with good correlation in the measurement of GLS as compared with the EchoPAC (GE) software. Acknowledgements The authors thank GE for providing the EchoPAC license and the pro-rectorate for research, innovation and post‑graduate education of the IFPB for the financial support. Author contributions Conception and design of the research and Analysis and interpretation of the data: Hortegal RA; Acquisition of data: Sousa RD, Santos I, Hortegal RA, Abensur H; Statistical analysis: Szewierenko P, Hortegal RA; Obtaining financing: Regis CDM, Abensur H; Writing of the manuscript: Sousa RD, Regis CDM, Santos I, Hortegal RA, Szewierenko P; Critical revision of the manuscript for intellectual content: Regis CDM, Hortegal RA, Abensur H. Potential Conflict of Interest No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported. Sources of Funding This study was funded by Pró-Reitoria de Pesquisa, Inovação e Pós-gradução do Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e TecnologiadaParaíbaandDr.HenryAbensurfromEcocardiography Department in Beneficencia Portuguesa Hospital - São Paulo -SP. 504