Real-time three-dimensional echocardiographic left ventricular systolic assessment: side-by-side comparison with...

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Imaging
• Medical Diagnostics
• Echocardiography and CT

Background:

• Accurate assessment of left ventricular systolic function and geometry is crucial for diagnosing and managing cardiovascular diseases.
• Real-time 3D echocardiography (RT3DE) and cardiac computed tomography (CCT) are advanced imaging modalities with the potential to provide detailed cardiac information.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the accuracy of RT3DE and CCT in analyzing left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF) and volumes.
• To investigate the correlation between RT3DE and CCT measurements of cardiac function and geometry.

Main Methods:

• Prospective study of 67 patients (37 males, mean age 55 years).
• Patients underwent both RT3DE and 64-slice CCT examinations.
• Analysis of LVEF, left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV), and left ventricular end-systolic volume (LVESV) using both modalities.

Main Results:

• Strong correlations were found between RT3DE and CCT for LVEF (r=0.79, P<0.0001), LVEDV (r=0.82, P<0.0001), and LVESV (r=0.91, P<0.0001).
• RT3DE LVEF ranged from 30-78.6% (mean 63.1±7.33%), LVEDV from 44.1-210 mL (mean 104.9±29.7 mL), and LVESV from 11.4-149 mL (mean 38.9±19.3 mL).
• CCT LVEF ranged from 28-86% (mean 66±8.4%), LVEDV from 51-212 mL (mean 110.3±31.2 mL), and LVESV from 7-152 mL (mean 38.2±19.2 mL).

Conclusions:

• RT3DE and CCT demonstrate adequate correlation in assessing ventricular systolic function and geometry.
• Both imaging techniques are reliable for evaluating left ventricular parameters.