Reproducibility of ventricular function measurements by contrast angiography

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Imaging
• Medical Diagnostics
• Radiology

Background:

• Accurate measurement of cardiac volumes is crucial for diagnosing and managing cardiovascular diseases.
• Contrast angiography is a widely used imaging technique for assessing cardiac function.
• Understanding the reproducibility of these measurements is essential for reliable clinical interpretation and research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the interobserver reproducibility of single-plane contrast angiographic measurements of cardiac volumes.
• To compare reproducibility between manual and digital calculation methods.
• To assess the impact of patient selection and filming technique on measurement variability.

Main Methods:

• Two patient groups were studied: a consecutive clinical series (n=42) with manual calculations and a selected group (n=31) with digital calculations.
• Measurements included end-diastolic volume (EDV/m2), end-systolic volume (ESV/m2), stroke volume (SV/m2), and ejection fraction (EF).
• Statistical analysis included correlation coefficients, standard error of the estimate, average difference, and 95% confidence limits.

Main Results:

• Measurement variation accounted for 9-15% of the variance in end-diastolic volume (EDV/m2) for the consecutive series.
• Digital calculations in the selected group demonstrated improved interobserver reproducibility compared to manual methods.
• Reproducibility of regional ejection fractions was also assessed in the selected group.

Conclusions:

• Single-plane contrast angiography exhibits moderate interobserver reproducibility for cardiac volume measurements.
• Digital calculation methods enhance reproducibility, making them preferable for investigational purposes.
• Caution is advised when comparing contrast angiographic measurements with other methods due to inherent measurement variation.