Application of roentgenkymography to the study of normal and abnormal cardiac physiology

Abstract

Roentgenkymography records the movements of the heart and great vessels and is to be included among the methods of graphic registration of the cardiac cycle in man. All the phenomena recorded kymographically conform readily to physiological interpretation, the information afforded by the ventricular, aortic, and auricular waves being the same as is obtained experimentally with the myocardiograph, arterial sphygmograms and jugular pulse tracings, respectively. On the basis of correlation with the electrocardiograms and heart sounds, the waves may be assigned to specific events in the cardiac cycle, and, by correlating these waves graphically, the sequence of events in the cardiac cycle may be accurately studied, with a time resolution of 0.02 sec. The findings serve in the main to corroborate relationships determined by animal investigations. The kymographic method, in addition, sheds light on a number of interesting aspects of the cardiac cycle. Thus, it is the only method available for obtaining in man a graphic registration of occurrences in the pulmonary circuit. Asynchronism in ejection of the two ventricles is studied by comparing aortic and pulmonary artery waves. Physiological aortic regurgitation is demonstrated. The changes in mitral and aortic valvular disease are shown, and a dynamic interpretation of these changes is given. The effect of digitalization on the duration of ejection and movement is considered.