RIGHT-VENTRICULAR MASS MEASUREMENT BY ELECTRON-BEAM COMPUTED-TOMOGRAPHY - VALIDATION WITH AUTOPSY DATA

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES. Validation of right ventricular mass quantit ation by electron beam computed tomography in humans has not been perf ormed. The ability of electron beam computed tomography to accurately determine the septal component of the right ventricle also has not bee n determined. This article addresses both issues. METHODS. Twenty huma n adult hearts obtained at autopsy were scanned by electron beam compu ted tomography in a short-axis projection, Planimetry of the right ven tricular free wall and septal components of each slice was performed a nd summed to determine right ventricular mass. These measurements were compared against comparable measurements obtained by autopsy weights of the hearts. RESULTS. Right ventricular free wall weights by electro n beam computed tomography (53.9 +/- 18.4 g) correlated well (slope = .92, r = .92, standard error of the estimate = 7.4 g, P < .001) with a utopsy weights (55.8 +/- 18.4 g), Right ventricular septal weights by electron beam computed tomography (6.1 +/- 2.3 g) correlated poorly (s lope = .04, r = .11, standard error of the estimate = 2.4 g, P = .65) with autopsy weights (13.9 +/- 6.3 g). CONCLUSIONS. Electron beam comp uted tomography quantitation of right ventricular mass is accurate in humans if only the free wall and not the septal component is utilized.