A comparison of objective measurements on the chest roentgenogram as screening tests for right or left ventricular hypertrophy

Abstract

In an attempt to overcome interobserver and intraobserver variability in the subjective reading of the chest roentgenogram, methods of objective measurements have been developed. This has led to the use of objective measurements such as cardiac transverse diameter, cardiothoracic ratio, cardiac surface area of the frontal roentgenogram, and cardiac volume using both the frontal and lateral view. Validation of these techniques as predictors of cardiac size is limited by their reliance on gross pathologic data rather than specific chamber masses. 1,2 In no instance have these 4 methods been compared using a common pathologic base. This study analyzes the accuracy of 4 objective measurements on the standard posteroanterior and lateral chest roentgenogram for predicting left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy, right ventricular (RV) hypertrophy, or both determined by a specific cardiac chamber partition technique in the same autopsy population.