Rapid Quantification of Left Ventricular Function and Mass Using Transoesophageal Three-dimensional Echocardiography: Validation of a Method that uses Long-axis Cutplanes*

Despite its proven superiority compared to conventional echocardiographic techniques, three-dimensional (3D) echocardiography has not gained widespread acceptance in clinical medicine for the quantification of left ventricular volumes, function and mass. This is mainly due to the large, time-consuming process of data analysis. We sought to validate a new method that enables the accurate quantification of the left ventricle in a clinically acceptable short period of time.