Radiocardiography - method and application in newborns and infants

The radiocardiography is a method in nuclear medicine for cardiac output measurement. This technique is based on indicator dilution. The external precordial placement of the scintillation detector gives the method a noninvasive character and it is suitable for application in newborns and infants. First results are presented of patients ranging in age from 2 to 100 days. Measured parameters are cardiac output, stroke volume, ejection fraction and circulating blood volume, permitting a complete investigation of hemodynamic changes in the perioperative period. The short physical half-life of /sup 113m/In isotopes (100 minutes) allows repeat measurements at sufficiently short intervals. The combination of measuring instruments and computer enlarges the radiocardiographic possibilities by the registration of blood volume motion during cardiac cycle which allows to observe the cardiac pump mechanism. (author)