RESUMO
PURPOSE: Quantification of the left ventricular (LV) volume by three-dimensional echocardiography is accurate but time-consuming. To shorten the time required, we sought to determine the minimum number of image planes necessary to measure LV volume reliably. METHODS: We analyzed transesophageal three-dimensional echocardiographic LV data obtained by the rotational scanning method in 16 patients: 11 had ischemic heart disease, and 5 had dilated cardiomyopathy. LV volumes were calculated from 6, 10, and 30 short-axis images using the disk-summation method and from 2, 4, 6, 10, 20, and 30 longitudinal images using the new average rotation method. RESULTS: LV volume varied less with the average rotation method than with the disk-summation method. The 95% limit of agreement between the 30-image and 6-image methods was 0.3% ± 3.7% for the average rotation method, whereas it was -2.0% ± 6.9% for the disk-summation method. The time required for analysis decreased from 12.5 ± 2.8 min with the 30-image method to only 3.3 ± 0.5 min for the 6-image method. CONCLUSIONS: Measurement of six longitudinal images provided reliable LV volume data, even in patients with enlarged or deformed left ventricles. The short measurement time supports the use of three-dimensional echocardiographic LV volume measurement in the clinical setting.