Comparison of Left Ventricular Volumes Measured by 3DE, SPECT and CMR

Information regarding left ventricular (LV) volume and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) has major diagnostic and prognostic value when assessing patients after ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). We aimed to investigate the agreement between measurement of LV volumes and LVEF by three-dimensional echocardiography (3DE), single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging in patients in a stable phase after STEMI.

Fifteen patients underwent examinations by 3DE, SPECT and CMR three months after STEMI.

There was a significant bias in end-diastolic volume (EDV) measured by 3DE (-64 mL, p < 0.001) and SPECT (-55 mL, p < 0.001) compared with that measured by CMR. This was also the case for end-systolic volume (ESV) measured by 3DE (-36 mL, p < 0.001) and SPECT (-28 mL, p < 0.001). No significant differences were found between 3DE and SPECT for EDV or ESV. However, LVEF did not differ between the three methods. The agreement between all three methods was moderate (intra-class correlation coefficient [ICC] = 0.44) for LV volume and good for LVEF (ICC = 0.72).

LV volumes assessed by 3DE did not differ from SPECT, and despite larger LV volumes by CMR, measurements of LVEF showed good agreement between all three methods.