Echocardiographic volumetry of the right ventricle.

AIMS The aim of our study was to define the optimal geometric model for two-dimensional volumetry of the right ventricle and its clinical validation. METHODS AND RESULTS It has been shown in previous reports that an ellipsoidal shell model best reflects the complex right ventricular geometry. We investigated 82 patients without tricuspid regurgitation and intracardiac shunt. Measurements of right ventricular stroke volume were made in modified apical four chamber and parasternal short axis views both in end-diastole and end-systole. The following controls were used:stroke volume of right ventricle estimated by thermodilution in 22 patients, stroke volume of left ventricle calculated with Teichholz formula in 77 patients, stroke volume of left ventricle estimated by Doppler volumetry in 41 patients. The correlations between right ventricular stroke volume by echocardiography and thermodilution, left ventricular volumetry by Teichholz and Doppler were r=0.87, p<0.001; r=0.91, p<0.001; and r=0.83, p<0.001, respectively. CONCLUSION The ellipsoidal shell model of the right ventricle is a good model for right ventricular volumetry.