COMPARISON OF ECHOCARDIOGRAPHIC QUANTITATION OF LEFT-VENTRICULAR EJECTION FRACTION TO RADIONUCLIDE ANGIOGRAPHY IN PATIENTS WITH REGIONAL WALL MOTION ABNORMALITIES

The noninvasive estimation of left ventricular (LV) performance is important both in the initial evaluation of many cardiac patients and as a means of monitoring their subsequent course. M-mode echocardiography was initially used to estimate LV ejection fraction (EF) but was substantially limited by its inability to account for regional wall motion abnormalities.1 Two-dimensional echocardiography assesses LV function tomographically and is less restricted by segmental abnormalities. Previous studies using 2-dimensional echocardiography to assess EF have reported a wide range of results, and few have included significant numbers of patients with regional wall motion abnormalities.2,4. © 1990.