Appropriate 3-dimensional echocardiography data acquisition interval for left ventricular volume quantification: Implications for clinical application

Volume-rendered 3-dimensional echocardiography (3DE) acquired with. small imaging intervals has been validated for accurate left ventricular (LV) volume measurement. However, its clinical application is often impeded by the lengthy acquisition time. The aim of this study was to examine the accuracy of LV volume measurement from 3DE data acquired at different intervals. Methods: Transthoracic 3DE LV data sets were acquired at intervals of 2 degrees, 6 degrees, 9 degrees, 12 degrees, 15 degrees, 18 degrees, and 20 degrees in 10 human subjects with various cardiac shapes and function. The LV end-diastolic volume and endsystolic volume mere measured from each 3DE data set with the "summation of disks" method, Interobserver and intraobserver variability were also examined. Measurements obtained from data acquired at 2 degrees intervals were used as references for comparison. Results: From 10 subjects a total of 70 3DE data sets were obtained. Data acquisition time decreased from 189 +/- 143 seconds at intervals of 2 degrees to 19 +/- 6 minutes at 20 degrees. No statistically significant difference was found among the measurements derived from data obtained at various intervals. Excellent agreement was obtained between interobserver and intraobserver measurements. Conclusion: Data acquired at 12 degrees and 15 degrees intervals remained accurate for LV volume measurement and saved over 80% of time in comparison with data acquired at 2 degrees intervals. A further increase in imaging intervals tended to underestimate LV volumes without significant acceleration of the procedure.