Evaluation of heart dysfunction using non-invasive methods. A comparison between left ventricular end diastolic volume measured using blood pool gated radioisotope angiography and left ventricular transverse end diastolic diameter measured using two dimensional echocardiography.

BACKGROUND: The author aimed to compare two heart function indexes by studying left ventricular end diastolic volume measured using blood pool gated radioisotope angiography, and left ventricular end diastolic diameter measured using echocardiography.
METHODS: The patients were divided into two groups depending on whether left ventricular ejection fraction was greater than or equal to 50% or less than 50%, namely into a group of patients without myocardial dysfunction and one with myocardial dysfunction. The results were analysed using Fisher's discriminant analysis.
RESULTS: The author observed that 41.18% of patients were correctly classified using the end diastolic volume and 82.35% using transverse end diastolic diameter. Student's "t"-test was also performed on end diastolic volumes in the first and second group, although this was not significant. On the contrary, the "t" test between the transverse end diastolic diameters of patients in the first and second group was significant with p < 0.05.
CONCLUSIONS: The author concludes that the end diastolic transverse diameter of the left ventricle is a reliable index of myocardial dysfunction.