Technique for evaluating left ventricular performance with apical two-dimensional echocardiography: Progress report.

A technique of modelling the left ventricle for the purpose of volume determination has been devised. Two-dimensional echocardiographic data from the apical four chamber and two chamber views are used to pattern the ventricle as a stack of elliptical discs. The method has been validated for an array of regular geometric shapes commonly associated with ventricular architecture. The relative advantages of this model are discussed.