VARIABILITY AND REPRODUCIBILITY IN THE DETERMINATION OF LEFT-VENTRICULAR VOLUME BY MEANS OF CINE-MR - A COMPARISON OF VARIOUS METHODS OF MEASUREMENT

Sixteen normal individuals were examined on a 1.5 T instrument using gradient echo sequences (cine-MR). The results of various computations were tested with respect to agreement and reproducibility of the methods. The ejection fractions calculated from bi-plane and 3-dimensional reconstructed volumes showed verly low standard deviations of mean values (SD < 2%). Volumes calculated from a single plane produced the greatest scatter of mean values (SC approximately 5%). In all sixteen subjects, the MR findings showed good reproducibility. There was very little inter-observer variability (variability < 5%). A comparison of various methods showed that bi-plane and mono-plane volume calculations obtained by MR in the cardiac axis are more accurate than those obtained by echocardiography (MR:R > 0.75, p < 0.001; echo:R < 0.75, p > 0.05).