AJP - Heart and Circulatory Physiology, Vol 232, Issue 4 434-H436, Copyright © 1977 by American Physiological Society
A new method for internal calibration of left ventricular cineangiography
M. M. Laks, D. Garner, J. Beazell and J. Piscatelli
Previous methods of internal calibration for cineangiography have made use
of reference objects such as catheters or wires of known length or
diameter. Such devices have either insufficient X-ray resolution, or
require a specific orientation within the ventricle which is difficult to
confirm. External calibration methods, while eliminating these errors, can
only estimate actual position of the left ventricle. The use of a Swan-Ganz
balloon catheter as a calibration object diminishes these problems. When
positioned within the left ventrical and filled with a radiopaque medium,
the balloon is of sufficient size and density to avoid errors induced by
previously employed objects. The inflated balloon geometry is simple and
reproducible. The use of this internal calibration catheter markedly
diminishes major sources of errors in the determination of ventriculograms
for both dogs and humans.
