Intact chordae tendineae increase ventricular volume measurement error by the balloon method

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular physiology
• Medical imaging techniques

Background:

• Accurate left ventricular volume measurement is crucial for diagnosing and managing cardiac diseases.
• The intraventricular balloon method is a technique used for assessing cardiac volumes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the accuracy of the intraventricular balloon method for left ventricular volume measurement.
• To determine the impact of intact versus severed chordae tendineae on volume measurement errors.

Main Methods:

• Utilized formalin-fixed canine left ventricles.
• Assessed volume errors at varying intra-balloon pressures (50-250 mmHg).
• Compared volume errors with all chordae tendineae intact versus severed.

Main Results:

• Volume errors were significantly greater when chordae tendineae were intact compared to when severed.
• The difference in volume errors ranged from 1.9-3.3 ml, irrespective of intra-balloon pressure.
• Visual confirmation indicated the space behind tense chordae tendineae as the primary source of this error.

Conclusions:

• The presence of intact chordae tendineae introduces significant errors in left ventricular volume measurements using the intraventricular balloon method.
• Accounting for the space behind chordae tendineae is essential for improving the accuracy of this measurement technique.