Left ventricular volume determination using Albunex.

The aim of this study was to assess the ability of intravenous injection of Albunex to improve left ventricular volume determination in patients with various cardiac diseases. It is conceivable that the intravenous injection of microbubbles could improve echocardiographic left ventricular border delineation leading to improved interobserver variability. Echocardiograms were obtained during simultaneous intravenous injection of 0.08 and 0.12 ml/kg Albunex (four-chamber view). Within 6 hours after the recording of the contrast echocardiograms routine left heart angiography was performed. Volumes were measured using the slice method in native and contrast echocardiograms as well as in the angiograms by two independent investigators. The mean differences of angiographic-native echocardiographic and angiographic-contrast echocardiographic volumes (ml) as well as the calculated ejection fraction and their confidence intervals were tabulated and significance was anticipated if the confidence interval did not include zero. Significant changes to angiographic values could be observed concerning end-diastolic, echocardiographic, and contrast echocardiographic volumes at end diastole and end systole, while ejection fractions were similar. Differences between observers were significantly smaller in the contrast echocardiographic images than in the native echocardiographic images. Albunex led to a significantly decreased interobserver variability.