Two-dimensional echocardiographic quantitation of left ventricular global and regional shape: Validation of an algorithm based on Fourier transformation and curvature measurements of endocardial contours

Left ventricular geometry is an. important parameter of its function; howev er, Left ventricular function. has been conventionally quantified through m easurements of volume, ejection fraction, and mass. Left ventricular global shape has been quantified previously using methods that are based on. assu mptions of idealized cavity shape. Although these indices have been applied to various disease states of the Left ventricle, the underlying assumption of an ideal left ventricular geometry is inherently flawed. Regional left ventricular shape using echocardiography has not been previously evaluated, principally because of the difficulty in quantitative regional geometry. A lterations in Left ventricular geometry have a direct impact on wall stress and thus the diastolic performance of the left ventricle. We developed an algorithm based on Fourier transformation, of traced endocardial borders fr om two-dimensional echocardiograms that allowed global shape of the Left ve ntricular to be quantified without assumptions of any ideal left ventricula r shape. This method is an adaptation. of an algorithm defined for cinevent riculograms by Marine and colleagues (Am J Physiol 1988;254: H547-H557). We further described a method to quantify, regional endocardial curvature as an index of regional shape. In this preliminary validation study, we primar ily tested the reproducibility of these two parameters.