Interobserver variability in echocardiography.

High-quality echocardiograms were performed on 146 normal individuals whose ages ranged from 3 to 73 years (mean 27 years). Normal values for mitral diastolic excursion and E-F slope, the chamber dimensions of the right ventricle, left atrium, and left ventricle, the aortic root dimension, and thickness of the interventricular septum and left ventricular posterior wall were determined. Each tracing was then read independently by two experienced echocardiographers. The extent of interobserver variability was calculated and expressed as a percent of the mean. The 95 per cent confidence limits for these estimates were calculated. Small but significant interobserver variability was found for all nine of these commonly measured echocardiographic parameters. Observer variability is a small but potentially important consideration in investigative echocardiography.