Upright exercise echocardiography.

A simple technique for obtaining high-quality echocardiograms of the left ventricle during upright bicycle exercise is described. The use of this method has resulted in left ventricular dimension data that are consistent with the results of studies in conscious, previously instrumented dogs during running. Careful subject selection is important, however, as only 1 of 5 normal subjects was found suitable for these studies. Therefore, we believe that upright exercise echocardiography is feasible in selected subjects and provides useful physiologic information about left ventricular performance during exercise.