Diagnostic Value of Integrated Ultrasonic Backscatter in Congestive Cardiomyopathy

Abstract

Congestive cardiomyopathy is a fatal myocardial disease which can be diagnosed by clinical findings, electrocardiography, roentgenography and echocardiography. Tissue characterization and pathology have been determined recently using histogram methods to analyze ultrasonographs. In this study ultrasonic backscatter analysis for differentiation of normal and diseased myocardium was tested. Two-dimensional echo data and radio frequency signals of long-axis views of the left ventricular posterior wall of 10 healthy children and 14 patients with congestive cardiomyopathy in systolic and diastolic phase were digitized online into the computer memory. Cyclic variation was obtained in the control group but no variation was detectable in myopathic hearts. © 1991, International Heart Journal Association. All rights reserved.