COMPUTER ANALYSIS OF ECHOCARDIOGRAMS

Echocardiograms are made with an Ekoline 20 echocardiograph and continuous records of the left ventricular dimension are obtained with a Nihon Kohden 35 mm oscilloscope camera. The echo signals are displayed on the y axis of an oscilloscope and recorded by continuously moving cine film. The records are then projected directly on to a digitizer which allows hand traces of good-quality cycles to be made. The timing and distance information is then entered with the cursor which is then traced along both the septal and endocardial echoes of the left ventricular cavity. Allowance is made for the pulse width of the left septal echo so that measurements are made from the leading edge. The digitizer is connected directly to the input of a computer (Digital Equipment Corporation PDP g-E).