Measurement of peak rates of left ventricular wall movement in man. Comparison of echocardiography with angiography.

Estimates of peak systolic and diastolic rates of left ventricular wall movement were made in 23 patients by echocardiography and angiocardiography. Echocardiographic measurements were calculated as the rate of change of the transverse left ventricular dimension, derived continuously throughout the cardiac cycle. These were compared with similar plots of transverse left ventricular diameter, in the same patients, derived from digitized cineangiograms taken within 10 minutes of echocardiograms. The results indicate close correlation between the two methods, and suggest that either can be used to measure peak rates of left ventricular wall movements in patients with heart disease.