The use of echocardiography to determine left ventricular size. A simultaneous echocardiographic and angiocardiographic study.

Fitteen patlents without coronary artery disease were studied at routine cardiac calheterization by performing simultaneous right anterior oblique Jeft ventricular cineangiôgrams and echocardiograms. The echo beam intersected the minor axis of the ventricle at a variable angle (froin — 11’ to + 18°) in diastole and systole, and the Iong axis f rum 28 % tu 64 % of its length in diastole and from 15 % to 64 % in systole. Left ventricular dimensiona were greater when measured from the angio grama in the sarne plane of the echo beam, but a fair correlation exists between the two. Ejection fraction determined from angiographic volumes correlated well with the relative shortening of the echographic dimension. The practical errors involved in echocardiographic measurements are discusesd and it is concluded that caution should be exercised in the extrapolation of echocardiographic dimensions into left ventricular volume determinations.