Shape reconstruction of the left ventricle: accuracy of limited‐plane three‐dimensional echocardiography.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the accuracy of left ventricular cavity shape reproduction from 8 spatially related, apical two-dimensional ultrasonographic images. METHODS: We scanned 6 dog heart specimens. Left ventricular cavity casts were reconstructed from 48-tomogram (high-density), 8-tomogram (octaplane), and 2-tomogram (low-density biplane) apical data sets. The 48-plane left ventricular cast served as the reference. Spatial shape resolution of 3 mm in radial distance from the rotational axis to the interpolated endocardium was used as the criterion of shape accuracy. RESULTS: The adjusted limits of agreement for the octaplane and biplane left ventricular casts were +/-2.31 and +/-6.84 mm, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The three-dimensional left ventricular cavity shape can be accurately reproduced by using a low-data density apical octaplane echocardiographic examination.