Myocardial deformation is a key to clinical decision-making. Feature-tracking cardiovascular magnetic resonance (FT-CMR) provides quantification of motion and strain using standard steady-state in free-precession (SSFP) imaging, which is part of a routine CMR left ventricular (LV) study protocol. An accepted definition of a normal range is essential if this technique is to enter the clinical arena.

One hundred healthy individuals, with 10 men and women in each of 5 age deciles from 20 to 70 years, without a history of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, renal impairment, or family history of cardiovascular disease, and with a normal stress echocardiogram, underwent FT-CMR assessment of LV myocardial strain and strain rate using SSFP cines.

Peak systolic longitudinal strain (E_ll) was −21.3 ± 4.8%, peak systolic circumferential strain (E_cc) was −26.1 ± 3.8%, and peak systolic radial strain (E_rr) was 39.8 ± 8.3%. On Bland–Altman analyses, peak systolic E_cc had the best inter-observer agreement (bias 0.63 ± 1.29% and 95% CI −1.90 to 3.16) and peak systolic E_rr the least inter-observer agreement (bias 0.13 ± 6.41 and 95% CI −12.44 to 12.71). There was an increase in the magnitude of peak systolic E_cc with advancing age, which was greatest in subjects over the age of 50 years (R² = 0.11, P = 0.003). There were significant gender differences (P < 0.001) in peak systolic E_ll, with a greater magnitude of deformation in females (−22.7%) than in males (−19.3%).

Normal values for myocardial strain measurements using FT-CMR are provided. All circumferential and longitudinal based variables had excellent intra- and inter-observer variability.