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Updated: Aug 30, 2026
Evaluation of Left Ventricular Structure and Function using 3D Echocardiography
Published on: October 28, 2020
Assessment of left ventricular mass and geometry by cardiac single photon emission computed tomography
Yudthsak Damrongpipatkij1, Jonathan N Bella, Robert Gorski
1Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center, NY 10457, USA.
Insights
Cardiac single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) can accurately assess left ventricular mass and geometry. This method is feasible and may offer prognostic insights beyond standard imaging techniques.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Medical Imaging
- Diagnostic Techniques
Background:
- Left ventricular hypertrophy is a significant predictor of patient morbidity and mortality.
- The feasibility of assessing left ventricular mass and geometry using cardiac single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) was previously unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the feasibility of cardiac SPECT for measuring left ventricular (LV) mass and geometry.
- To compare LV mass and geometry measurements obtained via cardiac SPECT with those from standard echocardiography.
Main Methods:
- A comparison of cardiac SPECT and echocardiography was performed in 30 patients.
- Measurements were taken within one week of each other to ensure consistency.
Main Results:
- Cardiac SPECT showed good correlation with echocardiography for LV mass (r=0.73) and relative wall thickness (r=0.50).
- Bland-Altman analysis indicated acceptable agreement between the two methods for LV mass and relative wall thickness.
Conclusions:
- Cardiac SPECT is a feasible method for assessing left ventricular mass and geometry.
- This technique may provide prognostic information beyond traditional perfusion and function assessments.
Background:
Left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy is an independent predictor of increased morbidity and mortality. However, whether assessment of LV mass and geometry by cardiac single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is feasible remains unclear.
Material/Methods:
We compared LV mass and geometry measured by cardiac SPECT to standard echocardiography in thirty consecutive patients (female 73%n mean age 22.64+/-17 years) who had both cardiac SPECT and echocardiography done less than 1 week apart.
Results:
There was good correlation between the LV mass (r=0.73, p <0.001) and relative wall thickness (r=0.50, p<0.01) derived by cardiac SPECT to those of standard echocardiography. Using Bland-Altman method, the 95% confident interval of agreement between cardiac SPECT and standard echocardiography ranged from -52 g (5th percentile) to 124 g (95th percentile, mean difference =36+/-45) for LV mass and from -1 (5th percentile) to -0.6 (95th percentile, mean difference =-0.8+/-0.1) for relative wall thickness.
Conclusions:
Assessment of left ventricular mass and geometry using cardiac SPECT is feasible and may provide prognostic information beyond measurement of perfusion and function.
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