Contrast-enhanced echocardiography significantly improved correlation with cineventriculography (r=0.83 vs 0.72; P<0.05) and inter-observer reliability (ICC 0.91 vs 0.79) over unenhanced imaging.
Observational (n=120)
Blinded off-site assessments
Yes
Does contrast-enhanced echocardiography improve the accuracy and inter-observer agreement of LVEF determination compared to unenhanced echocardiography, cineventriculography, and cardiac MRI?
Contrast-enhanced echocardiography significantly improves the accuracy and inter-observer reliability of LVEF assessment compared to unenhanced echocardiography, reaching levels comparable to cardiac MRI.
Absolute Event Rate: 0.83% vs 0.72%
p-value: p=< 0.05
AIMS: To assess the agreement of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) determinations from unenhanced echocardiography, contrast-enhanced echocardiography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and cineventriculography as well as the inter-observer agreement for each method. METHODS AND RESULTS: In 120 patients, with evenly distributed EF-groups (> 55, 35-55, < 35%), cineventriculography, unenhanced echocardiography with second harmonic imaging, and contrast echocardiography at low mechanical index with iv administration of SonoVue were performed. In addition, cardiac MRI at 1.5 T using a steady-state free precession sequence was performed in a subset of 55 patients. On-site, and two blinded off-site assessments were performed for unenhanced and contrast echocardiography, cineventriculography, and MRI according to pre-defined standards. Intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs) were determined to assess inter-observer reliability between all three readers (i.e. one on-site and two off-site). EF was 56.2 +/- 18.3% by cineventriculography, 54.1 +/- 12.9% by MRI, 50.9 +/- 15.3% by unenhanced echocardiography, and 54.6 +/- 16.8% by contrast echocardiography. Correlation on EF between cineventriculography and echocardiography increased from 0.72 with unenhanced echocardiography to 0.83 with contrast echocardiography (P < 0.05). Similarly, correlation on EF between MRI and echocardiography increased from 0.60 with unenhanced echocardiography to 0.77 with contrast echocardiography (P < 0.05). The inter-observer reliability ICC was 0.91 (95% CI 0.88-0.94) in contrast echocardiography, followed by cardiac MRI (0.86; 95% CI 0.80-0.92), cineventriculography (0.80; 95% CI 0.74-0.85), and unenhanced echocardiography (0.79; 95% CI 0.74-0.85). CONCLUSIONS: Unenhanced echocardiography resulted in slight underestimation of EF and only moderate correlation compared with cineventriculography and MRI. Contrast echocardiography resulted in more accurate EF and significantly improved correlation with cineventriculography and MRI. Contrast echocardiography significantly improved inter-observer agreement on EF compared with unenhanced echocardiography. Inter-observer reliability on EF using contrast echocardiography reaches a level comparable to MRI and is better than those obtained by cineventriculography.
Hoffmann et al. (Fri,) conducted a observational in Varying left ventricular ejection fractions (n=120). Contrast-enhanced echocardiography vs. Unenhanced echocardiography, cineventriculography, and MRI was evaluated on Correlation on EF between cineventriculography and echocardiography (p=< 0.05). Contrast-enhanced echocardiography significantly improved correlation with cineventriculography (r=0.83 vs 0.72; P<0.05) and inter-observer reliability (ICC 0.91 vs 0.79) over unenhanced imaging.