Reliability of Echocardiographic Left Ventricular Volume Measurements in Patients with Dilated Ventricle

Left ventricular volume indices (LVVI) were measured in fifty patients with chronic mitral and/or aortic regurgitation. Their age ranged from 12 to 71 (mean ± SD, 38 ± 15) years. End-diastole (ED) and end-systole (ES) frames were selected from video replay of two dimensional echocardiograph (TDE) recorded from apical long axis view. LVVI were calculated using the ellipsoid formula. The data compared LVVI measured from left ventricular angiography (LVA) done within one week of TDE study. The mean end-diastolic volume index (EDVI) for all 50 patients was 215 ± 111 ml ( mean ± SD) was not different from the single plane angiographic value of 221 ± 68 m1 (r = 0.94). The mean end-systolic volume index (ESVI) of 111 ± 77 ml was also not significantly different from the angiographic value of 118 ± 77 ml (r = 0.94). The average TDE and angiographic ejection fraction (EF) values of 51 ± 11 and 52 ± 12 were not different (r = 0.904). The excellent correlation between the two techniques is due to better endocardial delineation and smoothening of the trabeculae in dilated ventricles. LVVI and EF estimated by TDE are adequate for follow up and surgical decision making in patients with mitral and/or aortic regurgitation.