Correlation of angiographic and autopsy right ventricular dimensions in infants and children

Standard autopsy specimens from 49 infants and children, most with congenital heart disease, were prepared by controlled pressure coronary artery perfusion fixation of the heart. Autopsy measurements of tricuspid (TV) and pulmonary valve (PV) circumferences (Circ), right ventricular (RV) outflow circumference, (Circ), RV inflow and outflow tract lengths, and RV volume (Vol) were correlated with corresponding in vivo end-diastolic (D) and end-systolic (S) measurements from biplane cineangiograms (angio) in the same patients. Correlation of the dimensions studied yielded the following r values: TV 0.72, PV 0.78, D Circ 0.61, S Circ 0.56, D inflow spatial (sp) 0.83, S inflow sp 0.83, D outflow sp 0.87, S outflow sp 0.84, D Vol 0.80, and S Vol 0.80. Mean angio and autopsy values were not significantly different for spatial outflow tract measurments and S Vol. Average autopsy values were lower than all other D angio measurements: (p [diff] < 0.001) and S inflow sp, (p [diff] < 0.05), but higher than all other S angio measurements, (p [diff] < 0.05-0.001). The data show the predictability of the changes in RV morphology with this fixation method and provide a basis for meaningful comparison of quantitative autopsy and angio dimensions of the RV.