Right ventricular volume measurement with single-plane Simpson's method based on a new half-circle model.

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Medical Imaging
• Anatomy

Background:

• The complex shape of the right ventricle (RV) poses challenges for accurate volume measurement.
• The RV's short-axis view often appears crescent-shaped, suggesting a potential half-circle approximation.
• Existing methods may struggle with RV volume quantification due to its intricate geometry.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the accuracy of a novel RV volume calculation method.
• To test a hypothesis that assumes the RV's short-axis view approximates a half-circle.
• To validate this assumption using human RV casts and single-plane Simpson's method.

Main Methods:

• Fifteen human RV casts were scanned using multislice helical CT.
• RV sagittal images, corresponding to the right anterior oblique view, were reconstructed.
• Single-plane Simpson's method was applied, with calculated RV volume halved based on the half-circle assumption. True volume was determined by water displacement.

Main Results:

• The calculated RV volume (53.18 ± 26.22 ml) showed a close correlation with the true RV volume (64.23 ± 24.51 ml) (r=0.869, P<0.001).
• The proposed method, however, significantly underestimated the actual RV volume by 11.05 ± 13.09 ml (P<0.006).
• Despite underestimation, the regression analysis indicated a strong relationship between calculated and actual volumes.

Conclusions:

• Right ventricular volume can be estimated using single-plane Simpson's method with a proposed half-circle model.
• This simplified geometric assumption offers a potential approach for RV volume assessment.
• Further refinement may be needed to address the observed underestimation in volume measurements.