title: Three-dimensional echocardiographic measurement of left ventricular wall thickness: In vitro and in vivo validation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Three-dimensional (3D) echocardiography has been shown to accurately measure left ventricular (LV) volume and mass. This study evaluated the accuracy of 3D echocardiography and the CenterSurface method for measuring LV wall thickness in vitro and in vivo.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three-dimensional echocardiography scans, obtained from 7 LV phantoms and subjects having healthy (n = 5) or diseased (n = 8) hearts, were digitized. Endocardial and epicardial borders were outlined and used in 3D LV reconstruction. In vitro wall thickness was compared with true micrometer measurements. Three-dimensional in vivo wall thickness was compared with 2-dimensional (2D) thickness measured by the centerline method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The in vitro 3D echocardiography measurements agreed closely with true wall thickness (P <.0001), as did in vivo measurements (P <.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Three-dimensional echocardiography reconstruction has previously been shown to provide accurate representation of LV shape in addition to volume and mass. This study demonstrates that the CenterSurface method provides accurate quantification of wall thickness.
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Research and Training Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
authors.forename: Michal
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hubka
authors.forename: Janusz
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lipiecki
authors.forename: Edward L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Bolson
authors.forename: Roy W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: Brad
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Munt
authors.forename: Sharon R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Maza
authors.forename: Florence H
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Sheehan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019560:Echocardiography, Three-Dimensional / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D016014:Linear Models; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D015588:Observer Variation; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D013552:Swine; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left / Q000502:physiology