Characterizing the normal heart using quantitative three-dimensional echocardiography

We present normative data on cardiac volume, geometry and shape derived using three-dimensional echocardiography (3-DE). Three-dimensional reconstructions were created using the piecewise smooth surface subdivision (PSSS) reconstruction technique of the left and right ventricular (LV and RV) endocardium and the mitral and tricuspid annuli (MA and TA) of 67 normal subjects. We derived LV end-diastolic (ED) and end-systolic (ES) volume indices (VI) of 76.5 +/- 16.8 ml m(-2) and 35.3 +/- 14.1 ml m(-2), LV ejection fraction (EF) of 56.1 +/- 9.93%, RV EDVI and ESVI of 93.2 +/- 20.0 ml m(-2) and 49.9 +/- 13.5 ml m(-2) and RVEF of 47.3 +/- 7.69%, along with data on the geometry and shape of the MA, TA, LV and RV. There was no pattern of consistent understatement or overstatement of volumes or dimensions compared with other imaging modalities, and observed variance in data can largely be accounted for through examination of the physics or protocol of each modality.