Comparisons of 3-, 2-Dimensional, and M-Mode Echocardiographical Methods for Estimation of Left Chamber Volumes in Dogs with and without Acquired Heart Disease

BACKGROUND: Real-time 3-dimensional echocardiography (RT3D) is a recent technique based on volumetric scanning, eliminating the need for geometric modeling of the cardiac chambers and minimizing the errors caused by foreshortened views. HYPOTHESIS: Estimations of left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic (EDV) and end-systolic volume (ESV), and left atrial (LA) size, differ depending on the echocardiographic technique of estimation. ANIMALS: Fifty-one dogs with acquired heart disease and 34 healthy control dogs. METHODS: Prospective observational study by M-mode (Teichholz method), Simpson's modified 2-dimensional (2D) method, and RT3D methods for estimation of LV volumes. LA size was evaluated by 2D and RT3D methods. RESULTS: RT3D showed good agreement with 2D for EDV and ESV, whereas Teichholz method overestimated LV volumes in comparison with the other 2 methods by approximately a factor 2. There were no statistically significant differences among the 3 methods in estimating ejection fraction. Comparison between RT3D assessment of LA end-systolic volume per kilogram (LAs/kg) and LA to aortic ratio (LA/Ao) measured by 2D relative to each other showed that the RT3D method underestimated LAs/kg at lower values, and overestimated it at higher values. The difference between methods increased with increasing LA size. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: There was good agreement between RT3D and 2D methods of estimating EDV and ESV, whereas the Teichholz method overestimated LV volumes by approximately a factor 2. In comparison with RT3D, LA/Ao underestimated LA size, especially when LA was enlarged.