Percutaneous drainage of empyemas: Technique, results, and complications in 45 cases

The left ventricular (LV) and right ventricular (RV) stroke volumes in ten healthy volunteers were assess in both orthogonal axial and cardiac short-axis imaging planes using rapid gradient refocused cardiac imaging (cine GRASS) in order to identify the optimal imaging plane for stroke volume quantification. Imaging parameters used were a repetition time of 21 msec, an echo time of 12 msec, and a flip angle of 300. The RV and LV ejection fractions correlated well in both the short-axis (r=.85,P<.002) and axial (r=.85, P<.002) projections; stroke volume showed a stronger correlation in the short-axis (r=.80,P<.005) than in the axial (r=.74,P<.02) plane. The authors conclude that cardiac short-axis cine GRASS imaging measures strokes volume more accurately than axial plane imaging. These observations may allow the future quantification of valvular regurgitation