ECHOCARDIOGRAPHIC ON-LINE QUANTIFICATION OF LEFT VENTRICULAR SYSTOLIC FUNCTION IN CHILDREN

H.-J. Häusler. A. Möckel, A. Voppmann, P. Schneider

Universität Leipzig, Herzzentrum Leipzig, Germany

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to evaluate the clinical usefulness of the on-line automatic border detection system (acoustic quantification: AQ) for determination of left ventricular volumes and ejection fraction in children in comparison to the conventional off-line method.

METHOD: 107 patients were enrolled in the study. The ages ranged from 0.1 to 18.8 years (mean 8.3 ± 5.6). All patients were studied in the apical four-chamber plane for acoustic quantification (AQ) and manual tracing as well. Left ventricular volumes were determined using the mono-plane Simpson's rule.

RESULTS: Left ventricular end-diastolic volumes obtained by AQ correlated well but were slightly underestimated compared to those determined by manual tracing (r = 0.99). Left ventricular endsystolic volumes by AQ also correlated well with those by manual trace (r = 0.98). Mean ejection fraction was 61.1 ± 6.8 % by AQ compared with 61.5 ± 5.9 % by manual tracing. Linear regression analysis demonstrated good correlation: y = 0.77x+ 14.1, r=0.89; p< 0.001.

CONCLUSIONS: Measurement of left ventricular volumes and ejection fraction by AQ using automatic border detection compares well with measurements done by manual trace. The time necessary for acquisition of data was similar in both methods. AQ seems to be a promising method for real-time estimation of left ventricular volume, even in children.