Ces radiol. 2014, 68(1):40-44

Left ventricular ejection fraction and X-ray heart shadow sizeOriginal article

Martin Mulač
Radiodiagnostické oddělení Domažlické nemocnice a.s., Domažlice

Aim: Intention of this article is to analyse the relation between systolic function of the left ventricle and of the heart shadow size and to support or to deny the opinion, that a normal sized heart shadow predicts in cardiovascular diseased persons a preserved ejection fraction (EF) of the left ventricle.

Method: We measured by means of a polar planimeter the area of the heart shadow and of the frontal chest projection in 100 cardial healthy persons, in 100 cardiovascular diseased patiens with preserved systolic function (EF > 0.6) and in 100 persons with systolic dysfunction (EF < 0.4). The measured heart shadow area had been expressed by the cardiothoracic ratio (CTR%). The CTR% indicates, what percentual part of the thoracic area is occupied by the heart shadow and enables to quantify a possible heart enlargement.The highest size of an unenlarged heart shadow measured for purpose of this article CTR = 21%, i.e. Interval < 20.5-21.4% >.

Results and conclusions: The average heart shadow size measured in cardial healthy persons CTR = 17%, in cardiovascular diseased persons with preserved systolic function (EF > 0.6) CTR = 21% and in patients with systolic dysfunction (EF < 0.4) CTR = 25%. The heart shadow size appeared to be an unreliable marker of systolic function of the left ventricle.The enlarged heart shadow had been found in 85% of persons with systolic dysfunction (85% sensitivity), but in 15% persons of this group there was an unenlarged heart shadow and demonstrated, that a normal sized heart does not exclude a systolic dysfunction. 68% of patients with preserved EF had a normal sized heart (68% specificity), but in 32% of this group there was an enlarged heart shadow and proved, that even a diastolic mechanism of heart failure may lead to a heart enlargement.The heart size frequency curves of both the types of cardiovascular diseased persons interfered mutually along the CTR% line in such a way, that the percentual amount of persons with systolic dysfuntion was continuously raising from CTR = 16% to CTR = 29%, whereas the occurence of patients with preserved EF was permanently sinking. In case of presupposed equal prevalence of cardiovascular diseased persons with preserved systolic function and those with systolic dysfunction may be awaited, that a normal sized heart shadow predicts a preserved EF with approximative 80% probability and an enlarged heart shadow allowes to presume a systolic dysfunction roughly in 70% of cases.

Keywords: ejection fraction of the left ventricle, X-ray heart shadw size

Accepted: December 11, 2013; Published: March 1, 2014  Show citation

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Mulač M. Left ventricular ejection fraction and X-ray heart shadow size. Ces radiol. 2014;68(1):40-44.
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