Age- and gender-specific differences in left and right ventricular cardiacfunction and mass determined by cine magnetic resonance imaging

We examined possible age- and gender-specific differences in the function a nd mass of left (LV) and right (RV) and right (RV) ventricles in 36 healthy volunteers using cine gradient-recalled echo magnetic resonance imaging. S ubjects were divided into four groups,(nine men and nine women in each): me n aged under 45 years (32 +/- 7), women aged under 45 (27 +/- 6), men aged over 45 (59 +/- 8), and women aged over 45 (53 +/- 9). Functional analysis of cardiac volume and mass and of LV wall motion was performed by manu,al s egmentation of the endocardial and epicardial borders of the end-diastolic and end-systolic frame; both absolute and normalized (per square meter body surface area) values were evaluated. With age,there was a significant decr ease in both absolute and normalized LV and RV chamber volumes (EDV, ESV), while LV and RV masses remained unchanged. Gender-specific differences were found in cardiac mass and volume (for men and women, respectively: LV mass , 155 +/- 18 and 110 +/- 16 g; LV EDV, 118 +/- 27 I and 96 +/- 21 mi; LV ES V, 40 +/- 13 and 29 +/- 9 mi; RV mass, 52 +/- 10 and 39 +/- 5 g; RV EDV, 13 1 +/- 28 and 100 +/- 23 mi; RV ESV 53 +/- 17 and 33 +/- 15 mt). Nor: maliza tion to body surface area eliminated differences es in LV volumes but not t hose in LV mass, RV mass, or RV function. Functional parameters such as car diac output and LV ejection fraction showed nonsignificant or only slight d ifferences and were thus largely independent of age and gender. Intra- and interobserver variability ranged between 1.4% and 5.9% ;for all parameters. Cine magnetic resonance imaging thus shows age- and gender-specific differ ences in cardiac function, and therefore the evaluation of cardiac function in patients should consider age- and; gender-matched normative values.