Non-invasive left ventricular volume determination by two-dimensional echocardiography

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Medical Imaging
• Echocardiography

Background:

• Left ventricular angiography is a standard method for assessing cardiac function.
• Limitations exist in echocardiographic techniques like M-scanning for certain patient groups.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of an ultrasonic triggered B-scan technique for left ventricular assessment.
• To compare B-scan derived measurements with conventional angiography.

Main Methods:

• Twenty patients underwent left ventricular single-plane angiography.
• An ultrasonic triggered B-scan technique was used to obtain 2D cross-sectional images.
• An area-length method was employed for volume and ejection fraction calculations.

Main Results:

• Strong correlations were found between B-scan and angiography for left ventricular chamber volume (r=0.88) and ejection fraction (r=0.81).
• The triggered B-scan technique demonstrated good agreement with angiographic assessments.

Conclusions:

• Triggered B-scanning is a safe, non-invasive, and convenient alternative for evaluating left ventricular volumes and function in approximately 80% of patients.
• This method is particularly useful for patients with dilated hearts or irregular left ventricular shapes where M-scanning is less reliable.