Short-axis (SA) magnetic resonance (MR) images are commonly planned parallel to the left atrioventricular valve. This orientation leads to oblique slices of the right ventricle (RV) with subsequent difficulties in separating the RV from the right atrium in the SA images. The insertion points of the tricuspid valve (TV) in the myocardium can be clearly identified in the right ventricle long axis (RVLA) and four-chamber (4CH) views. The purpose of this study was to develop a method that transfers the position of the tricuspid plane, as seen in the RVLA and 4CH views, to the SA images to facilitate the separation of the RV from the atrium. This methodology, termed Dissociating the Right Atrium from the Ventricle Volume (DRAW), was applied in 20 patients for calculations of right ventricular stroke volume (RVSV). The RVSV using DRAW (RVSVDRAW) was compared to left ventricular stroke volumes (LVSV) obtained from flow measurements in the ascending aorta. The RVSV was also determined using the conventional method (RVSVCONV) where the stack of images from the SA views are summarized, and a visual decision is made of the most basal slice to be included in the RV. The mean difference between RVSVDRAW and LVSV was 0.1 +/- 12.7 ml, while the mean difference between RVSVCONV and LVSV was 0.33 +/- 14.3 ml. Both the intra- and interobserver variability were small using the DRAW methodology, 0.6 +/- 3.5 and 1.7 +/- 2.7 ml, respectively. In conclusion, the DRAW method can be used to facilitate the separation of the RV and the atrium.

BACKGROUND: Describing the systolic function of the right ventricle (RV) is a difficult task due to the complex shape and orientation of the RV. The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which the volumes encompassed by the pulmonary and tricuspid valve displacements contribute to the total right ventricle stroke volume (RVSV).

METHODS: Twelve healthy volunteers were examined using cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR). Two series of time-resolved axially rotated MR images were acquired that encompassed the tricuspid valve and the pulmonary valve, respectively. The volume related to each valve movement, the tricuspid plane displacement (TPD) and the pulmonary plane displacement (PPD), was determined by delineation in diastole and systole. These volumes, RVSVTPD and RVSVPPD , were compared to the stroke volume to determine the contributions to the total stroke volume from the TPD and the PPD. The remaining volume of the total RVSV was referred to as RVSVOther . An initial in vitro study was carried out to validate the accuracy of volume measurements using axially rotated images.

RESULTS: In vitro measurements indicated that the method for volumetric measurements using axially rotated images was a very accurate one, with a mean difference of 0·04 ± 0·10 ml. The in vivo measurements of RVSVTPD , RVSVPPD and RVSVOther were 45 ± 10%, 13 ± 2% and 42 ± 11%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS: Right ventricle stroke volume is determined by different individual volume changes as follows: RVSVTPD together with RVSVOther contributes to almost the entire RVSV in nearly equal proportions, while RVSVPPD contributes only a small amount and is approximately 30% of either RVSVTPD or RVSVOther.

Background: The position of the right ventricle (RV), often partly behind the sternum, implies difficulties to image the RV free wall using transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and consequently limits the possibilities of stroke volume calculations. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the volume of the right ventricle (RV) can be determined by combining TTE distance measurements that do not need the RV free wall to be fully visualized.

Methods: The RV volume was approximated by an ellipsoid composed of three distances. Distance measurements, modeled RV stroke volumes (RVSV), and RV ejection fraction (RVEF) were compared to reference values obtained from cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging for 12 healthy volunteers.

Results: Inter-modality comparisons showed that distance measurements were significantly underestimated in TTE compared to CMR. The modeled RV volumes using TTE distance measurements were underestimated compared to reference CMR volumes. There was, however, for TTE an agreement between modeled RVSV and left ventricular stroke volumes determined by biplane Simpson's rule. Similar agreement was shown between modeled RVSV based on CMR distance measurements and the CMR reference. Regarding RVEF, further studies including patients with a wider range of RVEF are needed to evaluate the method.

Conclusion: In conclusion, the ellipsoid model of the RV provides good estimates of RVSVs, but volumes based on distance measurements from different modalities cannot be used interchangeably.