Cardiac Ventriculography

Cardiac ventriculography is used to define the anatomy and function of the ventricles and related structures in patients with congenital, valvular, coronary, and myopathic heart disease (1–5). Specifically, left ventriculography may provide valuable information about global and segmental left ventricular function, mitral valvular incompetence, and the presence, location, and severity of a number of other abnormalities such as ventricular septal defect, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or left ventricular mural thrombus. As a result, left ventriculography is a routine part of diagnostic cardiac catheterization in patients being evaluated for coronary artery disease, aortic or mitral valvular disease, unexplained left ventricular failure, or congenital heart disease. Similarly, ventriculography may provide information about global and segmental right ventricular function and can be especially helpful in patients with congenital heart disease. In reality, however, right ventriculography is rarely performed in an adult cardiac catheterization laboratory. right