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Left ventricular volumes and ejection fraction derived from apical two-dimensional echocardiography
Sidney K. Edelman1, Dennis W. Rowe, Leonard W. Pechacek
1Clayton Foundation for Research Cardiovascular Laboratories and the Division of Cardiology of St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital and the Texas Heart Institute, Houston, Texas.
Cardiovascular Diseases
|September 1, 1981
Summary
This study introduces a novel echocardiography method for assessing left ventricular ejection fraction and volumes. While it shows promise for cardiac function evaluation, it tends to underestimate ventricular volumes compared to angiography.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Medical Imaging
- Echocardiography
Background:
- Accurate assessment of left ventricular (LV) function is crucial for diagnosing and managing cardiovascular diseases.
- Traditional methods for calculating LV ejection fraction and volumes have limitations, including geometric assumptions and invasiveness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate a novel two-dimensional echocardiographic technique for calculating LV ejection fraction and volumes.
- To compare the accuracy of this echocardiographic method with biplane angiography.
Main Methods:
- LV chamber modeled as 20 elliptical discs from orthogonal apical projections.
- Calculations of ejection fraction and volumes performed on 18 patients (10 with asynergy).
- Comparison with biplane cineangiography data.
Main Results:
- High correlation coefficients obtained: 0.91 for ejection fraction and 0.90 for volumes.
- Significant underestimation of LV volumes by echocardiography (104 +/- 25 ml) compared to cineangiography (161 +/- 23 ml; p < 0.001).
Conclusions:
- The described echocardiographic technique offers a promising, non-invasive approach for serial cardiac function evaluation.
- Potential utility in long-term patient monitoring due to its reliance on readily available views and ability to accommodate ventricular architectural variations.
- Further refinement may be needed to address the observed underestimation of ventricular volumes.