Quantification of left ventricular function with an automated border detection system and comparison with...

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Medical Imaging
• Echocardiography

Background:

• Automated border detection (ABD) systems offer on-line estimation of left ventricular (LV) function from 2D echocardiograms.
• Previous studies indicate ABD system cavity area measurements approximate manual tracings.
• Clinical validation requires comparing ABD system LV function with established methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare left ventricular (LV) function measurements between the automated border detection (ABD) system and radionuclide ventriculography.
• To validate the clinical utility of the ABD system for assessing cardiac function.

Main Methods:

• 46 patients underwent 2D echocardiography with the ABD system and radionuclide ventriculography on the same day.
• LV short-axis views at the papillary muscle level were used for echocardiographic measurements.
• ABD system ejection fraction was calculated using a modified ellipsoid model algorithm.

Main Results:

• Fractional area change from the ABD system strongly correlated with radionuclide ventriculography ejection fraction (r=0.92).
• Ejection fraction determined by the ABD system showed a strong linear relation with radionuclide ventriculography in patients without severe wall motion abnormalities (r=0.90).

Conclusions:

• LV function measurements derived from the ABD system demonstrate a strong linear relationship with radionuclide ventriculography.
• The ABD system provides a reliable method for quantifying left ventricular function, comparable to established techniques.