Comparison of Methods to Measure Heart Size Using Noncontrast-Enhanced Computed Tomography: Correlation With Left Ventricular Mass

Kurt R. Daniel, DO, MS Alain G Bertoni, MD, MPH, Jingzhong Ding, PhD, Sara Johnston, BS, Matthew J. Budoff, MD, David A. Bluemke, MD, PhD,and J Jeffrey Carr, MD, MS

Objective: Left ventricular (LV) mass is a useful independent predictor of cardiovascular events. We sought to develop a new correlate of LV mass using noncontrast-enhanced cardiac computed tomography (NCE-CCT).

Methods: We assessed 22 different ventricular measurements made with NCE-CCT in 60 participants in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. The primary outcome was the correlation between the NCE-CCT measurements and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-derived LV mass.

Results: Correlation coefficients (r) for the 22 NCE-CCT techniques in comparison to MRI-derived LV mass ranged from 0.12 to 0.80, with 14 of the 22 techniques having r > 0.7. The highest correlation was achieved using the modified Simpson Rule method to determine the biventricular volume (r = 0.80; P 0.75) NCE-CCT methods.

Conclusions: Noncontrast-enhanced cardiac computed tomography measurements of both biventricular volume and LV volume correlated well with MRI-derived LV mass in a population free of clinical cardiovascular disease.