[Left ventricular function at the time of left x-ray contrast ventriculography].

To study left ventricular function during radiocontrast ventriculography, 23 patients with a rejected diagnosis of coronary disease were examined. All the patients underwent coronarography, direct ventriculography with the aid of a special catheter with a microtip pressure microtransducer and intravenous biventriculography with injection of a radiocontrast agent to the right atrium with simultaneous monitoring of the pressure in the left ventricle. All the ventriculograms were subjected to a multiframe analysis with the aid of computer. During ventriculography, direct injection of a radiocontrast agent significantly influenced left ventricular function in all the phases of a cardiac cycle. The pressure in the left ventricle and energy parameters of the cycle of heart contraction increased. In the diastole, the elasticity of chamber walls reduced. The end diastolic volume increased, which led to the overstatement of the design parameters of cardiac output (by about 10 to 15%). All that resulted in the distortion of the data and lowered the scientific value of the information derived. Therefore, the search for alternative angiographic methods of estimating left ventricular function is badly needed.