Measurement of Left Ventricular Volumes in Man by Single-plane Cineangiocardiography

The measurement of left ventricular volumes (LVV) from biplane angiocardiograms is an important hemodynamic tool. Methods to obtain similar information from single-plane cineangiocardiograms are needed. Sixteen patients were studied by both biplane angiocardiograms and LV cineangiocardiography in the RAO position. The distance from the image intensifier to the center of the LV was determined by fluoroscopy in the opposite oblique, and a 1-cm2 grid was filmed at this level. The 35-mm cine film was projected and the opacified LV traced on each frame throughout one cardiac cycle. LVV was calculated using an ellipsoidal formula. The longest length was measured directly. The two minor axes were assumed to be the same and derived from the planimetered area and length. A correction factor for both magnification and pin cushion distortion was derived from the projected image of the 1-cm2 grid. Biplane volumes were determined by the Dodge method. The cine LVV regularly overestimated biplane LVV but the correlation was high (r = 0.967, SEE = 28.8 ml). The cine LVV can be corrected to equal the more precise biplane method with the formula: Volume (B) = Volume (C) × 0.788 + 8.4 ml. Comparison of the two methods for calculating stroke volume and ejection fraction showed correlation coefficients of 0.84 and 0.88.