title: Feasibility of real-time three-dimensional echocardiography for the assessment of distorted biventricular systolic function in patients with cor pulmonale.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study was to investigate the feasibility of real-time 3-dimensional echocardiography (RT3DE) for the analysis of biventricular ejection fractions and volume measurements in patients with cor pulmonale and the correlations of RT3DE results with 64-slice multi-detector cardiac computed tomography (64-MDCT) results.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study included a total of 22 patients (59.3 ± 16.6 years of age; 10 males and 12 females) who showed flattening or reverse curvature of the interventricular septum and severe pulmonary hypertension [mean right ventricular (RV) systolic pressure = 66.8 ± 19.7 mmHg] on 2-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography due to cor pulmonale. Biventricular end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes were measured by RT3DE and 64-MDCT. The severity of D-shaped deformation was evaluated by using left ventricular (LV) eccentricity index (ratio of diameters parallel/perpendicular to the interventricular septum on parasternal short axis images of the papillary muscle level).
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were moderate correlations between biventricular volumes measured by RT3DE and 64-MDCT except for LV end-systolic volume (59.8 ± 17.1 vs. 73.2 ± 20.2 mL, r = 0.652, p = 0.001 for LV end-diastolic volume; 30.6 ± 9.1 vs. 30.8 ± 12.5 mL, r = 0.361, p = 0.099 for LV end-systolic volume; 110.1 ± 42.9 vs. 171.1 ± 55.3 mL, r = 0.545, p = 0.009 for RV end-diastolic volume; and 80.9 ± 35.0 vs. 128.7 ± 45.1 mL, r = 0.549, p = 0.005 for RV end-systolic volume respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study suggests that RT3DE may be a modest method for measuring distorted biventricular end-systolic and end-diastolic volumes in patients with cor pulmonale.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Jung Sun
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Ho-Joong
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Youn
authors.forename: Eun-Joo
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Sung-Ho
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Her
authors.forename: Mahn-Won
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Jae Beum
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Min Seok
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Chan Seok
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Park
keywords: 64-slice multi-detector cardiac computed tomography; Cor pulmonale; D-shaped deformation; Real-time three-dimensional echocardiography; Severe pulmonary hypertension