Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 2, 2026
Evaluation of Left Ventricular Structure and Function using 3D Echocardiography
Published on: October 28, 2020
Three-dimensional echocardiographic measurement of left ventricular wall thickness: In vitro and in vivo validation
Michal Hubka1, Janusz Lipiecki, Edward L Bolson
1Cardiovascular Research and Training Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
Introduction:
Three-dimensional (3D) echocardiography has been shown to accurately measure left ventricular (LV) volume and mass. This study evaluated the accuracy of 3D echocardiography and the CenterSurface method for measuring LV wall thickness in vitro and in vivo.
Method:
Three-dimensional echocardiography scans, obtained from 7 LV phantoms and subjects having healthy (n = 5) or diseased (n = 8) hearts, were digitized. Endocardial and epicardial borders were outlined and used in 3D LV reconstruction. In vitro wall thickness was compared with true micrometer measurements. Three-dimensional in vivo wall thickness was compared with 2-dimensional (2D) thickness measured by the centerline method.
Results:
The in vitro 3D echocardiography measurements agreed closely with true wall thickness (P <.0001), as did in vivo measurements (P <.0001).
Conclusion:
Three-dimensional echocardiography reconstruction has previously been shown to provide accurate representation of LV shape in addition to volume and mass. This study demonstrates that the CenterSurface method provides accurate quantification of wall thickness.
