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Figure 3 Curved color M-mode echocardiogram acquired by post-processing color Doppler myocardial imaging data displaying regional velocity (left panels) and strain rate (right panels) in the mid-septum (top panels) and mid-lateral wall (bottom panels) of a study patient. The vertical line indicates the onset of the QRS complex. The septal wall shows early systolic shortening (arrow), coded yellow-red in the strain rate image, despite negative velocities in early systole (coded blue in the velocity image). In contrast, the lateral wall moves apical toward the transducer, as indicated by the red color in the velocity image, but shortens significantly later, as compared with the septum (arrowhead). Early systolic lengthening (coded blue in the strain rate image) precedes systolic shortening.