Author/Editor		Knap, Bojan
Title		The shape of the left ventricle as a reflection of its function
Type		monografija
Place		Ljubljana
Publisher		Faculty of medicine
Publication year		1999
Volume		str. 113
Language		eng
Abstract		The shape of the left ventricle is of significance from the theoretical as well as the clinical point of view. This study was made to quantify the shape of the left ventricle (LV). It was proposed that the shape of the left ventricle is intimately related to its performance and that its cylindricality (CYL) is a sensitive measure of this performance. The performance of the LV was tested against classical cardiovascular parameters (EF - ejection fraction, Doppler measurements from the outflow tract of the LV and the NYHA-classification of heart patients). Using echocardiography and Simpson's rule, the endocardial surface area of the left ventricle was calculated noninvasively with a simple experimental-mathematical model at enddiastole and endsystole. The endocardial surface of the left ventricle reflected the load of the left ventricle. Cylindricality (CYL) was derived from the endocardial surface area of the left ventricle with the formula CYL = SLV(ex.) - SLV(theor.)/ SL V(theor.) where SLV(ex.) denotes the actual internal surface area of the left ventricle and SLV(theor.) the internal surface area of the spherical body containing the same volume of blood as the actual veritricle. The surface area of the left ventricle and cylindricality were determined in normals (IA,B,C) as an example of normal function of the LV, athletes (ID,E) as an example of enhanced function of the LV, patients with arterial hypertension (II) as an example of adaptation to increase afterload, patients with mild heart failure (III) as an example of adaptation to chronic blood volume overload and patients with severe heart failure (IV) as an example of dilated cardiomyopathy. The normal value of SLV D is 138.3 cm2 while the normal value of SLV S is 99.0 cm2. (Abstract truncated at 2000 characters).
Descriptors		CARDIOMYOPATHY, CONGESTIVE HEART VENTRICLE STROKE VOLUME HYPERTENSION HEART HYPERTROPHY ADULT VENTRICULAR FUNCTION, LEFT ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY, DOPPLER ENDOCARDIUM SPORTS CARDIAC VOLUME MODELS, THEORETICAL BODY WEIGHT BODY HEIGHT BODY SURFACE AREA HEART RATE