Variations of the ellipsoid method in estimating three-dimensional echocardiographic left atrial volume in dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease: comparison with left atrial-to-aortic root ratios and planar volumetric methods.

Left apical monoplane ellipsoid method provides practical, accurate left atrial volume estimation in dogs with mitral valve disease.

This prospective study evaluated various echocardiographic methods for estimating left atrial (LA) volume in 70 dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease using real-time three-dimensional echocardiography (RT3D) as the reference standard. Researchers compared multiple volumetric techniques including ellipsoid variations, area-length methods, Simpson's method of discs, and the traditional LA/Ao ratio. The LA/Ao ratio demonstrated the poorest correlation with RT3D measurements. Among volumetric methods, biplane techniques (ellipsoid, Simpson's method, and area-length) showed excellent agreement with RT3D (concordance correlation coefficients ≥0.921). Notably, the left apical monoplane ellipsoid method provided the best balance of practicality and accuracy, demonstrating excellent correlation (r=0.924) with no systematic bias, making it clinically applicable. This linear method requires only basic measurements and can be easily performed by novice operators, offering a practical alternative to three-dimensional imaging for routine clinical assessment of LA enlargement in dogs with mitral valve disease.

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