Assessment of left ventricular volumes with cardiac MRI: comparison between two semiautomated quantitative software packages.

PURPOSE: This study compared two quantitative semiautomated software packages for volumetric analysis of the left ventricle (LV) by magnetic resonance (MR) imaging using two-dimensional (2D) cine balanced steady-state free precession (b-SSFP) sequences. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We included 46 consecutive patients who underwent cardiac MR imaging for various indications. Two-dimensional cine b-SSFP sequences were used to assess the LV. Data sets were evaluated with two dedicated software packages: ViewForum, version 4.2, and Argus, version Va60C. Results were compared with Student's t test for paired samples, Pearson's r correlation coefficient and R2 coefficient of determination; ejection fraction differences were assessed with Bland-Altman analysis. The time required for analysis was also recorded. RESULTS: We observed very high levels of concordance and reproducibility. High correlation was observed for ejection fraction (p>0.05; r=0.9; R (2)=0.82). The time required for analysis was 7.6+/-2.78 min vs. 7.52+/-2.4 min (p>0.05; r=0.85; R (2)=0.73). Intraobserver and interobserver variability did not show significant differences. CONCLUSIONS: LV volume evaluation is an integral part of cardiac MR imaging. In our experience, there is no significant difference between the commonly used software packages in either quantitative output or time required for analysis.