title: Digital subtraction myocardial contrast echocardiography: design and application of a new analysis program for myocardial perfusion imaging.
abstract: Myocardial contrast echocardiography may provide important physiologic information on myocardial perfusion. Most current analysis programs use manual frame grabbing and selecting of the area of interest. This is time-consuming and not highly reproducible. A system for automatic analysis of myocardial contrast echocardiographic studies was developed and evaluated. The program acquires an electrocardiographically gated sequence of end-diastolic images with a frame grabber in a personal computer. The baseline image is subtracted and the videodensity versus time contrast curve parameters are calculated on-line. Fast color-coded analysis is done automatically with a running square window that covers the entire image. A second mode of contrast analysis allows manual selection of multiple regions of interest. The program was evaluated with contrast echo data from open-chest dogs and two demonstrative patients. This myocardial contrast analytic package is an inexpensive, rapid, flexible, convenient, and reproducible on-line method that facilitates myocardial contrast echocardiographic analysis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Rambam Medical Center, Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Halmann
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Beyar
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rinkevich
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Shapiro
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sideman
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Markiewicz
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Meltzer
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Reisner
mesh_terms: D000418:Albumins; D000818:Animals; D003199:Computer Systems; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003326:Coronary Circulation / Q000502:physiology*; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D004285:Dogs; D004452:Echocardiography; D006346:Heart Septum / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D009862:Online Systems; D010210:Papillary Muscles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D012984:Software; D013382:Subtraction Technique; D014743:Videotape Recording
chemical_list: D000418:Albumins; D003287:Contrast Media