Medical Engineering & Physics 20 (1998) 485–488

Technical Note

Non-invasive estimation of human left ventricular end-diastolicpressure
Hideyuki Honda a,*, Shigemitsu Nakaya b, Hideichi Kamada a, Hideyuki Hasegawa b,
Jun Demachi a, Hisao Chikama a, Koushirou Sugimura b, Yoshito Yamamoto a, Norihisa
Kumasaka a, Tamotsu Takita a, Jun Ikeda a, Hiroshi Kanai b, Yoshiro Koiwa a, Kunio
Shirato aa

The First Department of Internal Medicine, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Sendai 980-77, JapanThe Department of Engineering, The Faculty of Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-77, Japanb

Received 1 July 1997; accepted 5 March 1998

Abstract
Sato et al. (Electronic Letters 32, 949–950, 1996) reported that one can obtain a non-invasive estimate of left ventricular (LV)pressure at around end-diastole in an isolated canine preparation. In this study we examined whether this method can be applied
to humans. Using the method proposed by Kanai et al. (IEEE. Trans. UFFC, 43, 791–810,1996), we detected small amplitude LV
vibration from an ultrasonic pulse Doppler signal reflected from the interventricular septum in five patients (44–63 y.o., male;4,female;1). We measured the oscillation frequency of the LV wall through the wavelet transform of small amplitude LV vibration,and calculated LV pressure at around end-diastole from the values of oscillation frequency, internal radius and wall thickness using
Mirsky’s equation. The estimated LV pressures at around end-diastole were similar to end-diastolic pressure measured directly bycardiac catheterization. These results show the possibility that this method allows for the non-invasive estimate of LV pressure ataround end-diastole, and furthermore provides the basis for future clinical applicability of this technique.  1998 IPEM. Publishedby Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: End-diastolic pressure; Left ventricle; Myocardial elasticity

1. Introduction
Information on end-diastolic pressure is essential
when one considers the presence or absence of clinicalsymptoms in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy patients or
patients with heart failure. However, the only method
to determine this pressure is via cardiac catheterization.
Therefore, if one were to be able to estimate end-diastolic pressure non-invasively, it would be a valuable toolfor evaluating the clinical status of patients.
Sato et al. reported that one can estimate left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic pressure non-invasively in an isolated canine heart preparation [1]. The parameters* Corresponding author. Sarcomere Dynamics Laboratory, Department of Physiology and biophysics, The University of Illinois at
Chicago, MBRB (M/C 902), 900 S. Ashland Avenue, Chicago, IL
60607-7071, USA. Tel: 312-355-0262; Fax: 312-355-0261; E-mail:honda@sarc.phyb.uic.edu

required for the estimation are the oscillation frequency(termed “eigenfrequency” in the previous reports [1,2]),internal radius and wall thickness of LV. The principleof the estimation is described in the next Section 2. Satoet al. obtained a direct recording of LV wall vibration
by suturing a miniature vibration sensor on the LV wall,and measured the oscillation frequency. The difference
between the estimated pressure and the measured one
obtained by catheter micromanometer was less than 2–
3 mmHg. Their results suggest the possibility that if one
could non-invasively obtain the oscillation frequency of
LV wall through the chest wall, one would be able toestimate LV pressure at around end-diastole in humans.
Kanai et al. reported a new method for detecting small
amplitude vibration of an object (heart, large arteries,etc.) from the body surface by processing the ultrasonic
Doppler pulse signals reflected from the object [3]. Theirmethod enables us to measure the oscillation frequencyof the LV from the precordium. In this study, we exam-

1350-4533/98/$19.00  1998 IPEM. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
PII: S 1 3 5 0 - 4 5 3 3 ( 9 8 ) 0 0 0 2 9 - 0

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H. Honda et al. / Medical Engineering & Physics 20 (1998) 485–488

ined whether one can obtain a non-invasive estimate ofhuman LV pressure at around end-diastole.

diastolic pressure are internal radius, wall thickness andoscillation frequency of the LV wall.

2. Methods

2.2. How to measure oscillation frequency of the LV
wall from the precordium

2.1. Principle
The principle of the estimation is as follows: AdvaniLee’s equation enables us to estimate LV myocardial
elasticity when the values of internal radius, wall thickness and the oscillation frequency of spheroidal deformation of LV are provided [2,4]. In the present study,
we used the simplified expression of the equation proposed by Honda et al. [2] as
E = 8.7 × 104a2f 2(1)(E: myocardial elasticity, a: internal radius, f: oscillation
frequency). Mirsky proposed an equation which
describes the relationship between myocardial elasticity,
the values of internal radius, wall thickness and enddiastolic pressure [5] as expressed by the following:E = 3390(1 +VWa2)(1 + ␣V)␴m2
V a + (a + h)2(2)(E: elasticity, V: LV volume, Vw: LV wall volume, ␴m= (V/Vw) × (1 + (a + h)3/2R3)P(t) (a: internal radius, h:wall thickness, R = a + h/2, P(t): LV pressure)). It isnoteworthy that Advani-Lee’s equation does not include
LV pressure and that LV myocardial elasticity can becalculated without any information on pressure. Combining Eqs. (1) and (2), one can estimate myocardial elasticity using Advani-Lee’s equation when the values ofinternal radius, wall thickness and oscillation frequency
are measured. Assuming that Advani-Lee’s elasticity isidentical to Mirsky’s elasticity, one can estimate LVpressure from the values of internal radius, wall thickness and myocardial elasticity using Mirsky’s equation(Fig. 1). The parameters required to estimate LV end-

Fig. 1. Schematic illustration of the principle to estimate LV pressure
at around end-diastole. Advani-Lee’s equation gives the myocardial
elasticity when the values of oscillation frequency (f), internal radius(a) and wall thickness are provided. Mirsky’s equation gives the myocardial elasticity when the values of internal radius, wall thickness and
LV pressure (P) are provided. Thus, if the values of internal radius,
wall thickness and myocardial elasticity are provided, one can estimate
LV pressure using Mirsky’s equation.

Kanai et al. reported a method to measure small
amplitude vibrations from the precordium [3]. Here, we
briefly describe the principle. When an ultrasonic transducer generates a 3.5 MHz burst pulse, the ultrasoundreflected from an object which is vibrating with a small
amplitude produces a phase shift because of the Doppler
effect. If the object moves with a large amplitude, aphase shift is also produced by the change of the positionof the object. The transducer receives the summation of
the above mentioned two phase shifts. When one detects
the reflected signal, expressing it with a complex number, one can separate it into the real part and the imaginary part, and can obtain the phase and the amplitude of
the reflected signal. One can select the frequencies which
received a phase shift by subjecting the detected signal
to a low pass filter. One makes a precise tracking of
the maximal reflection intensity of the detected signal,
identifying the exact time interval of the reflected pulse,and can then follow the large movement of the object
to subtract the phase shift caused by the large movementfrom the detected signal. The essence of estimating thesmall vibration is to measure the phase difference ⌬␪(x;t)
of the object caused by small amplitude vibration during
a short time interval ⌬T. The average velocity of theobject during the interval ⌬T, ⌬x(t)/⌬T, is expressed by
the following equation:⌬x(t)⌬␪(x;t)
= c0
⌬T
2␻0⌬T

(3)

Here, c0 and ␻0 are the transmission velocity andangular frequency of ultrasonic pulses applied to thechest wall. Adding some improvements to the commonlyused echocardiographic apparatus (Sonolayer ␣, SSH140A, Toshiba, Tokyo), Kanai et al. developed a tool
to detect a miniature vibration of the LV wall from theprecordium. This method enables us to detect a small
amplitude LV vibration (resolution is about 10 ␮m)
superimposed on the motion of a large amplitude (withan order of mm–cm) produced by the cardiac contraction. Validation experiments proved that this method
could clearly detect an amplitude of 20 ␮m vibration
superimposed on a motion with a larger amplitude of
7.5 mm [3]. Using this method, we detected the small
amplitude vibration of the LV wall. To determine theoscillation frequency of the LV, we subjected the LV
vibration to Morle’s wavelet transform. Sato et al.
already reported that Morle’s wavelet transform could
provide the time course of the oscillation frequency of
LV in an isolated canine preparation [1]. From the valuesH. Honda et al. / Medical Engineering & Physics 20 (1998) 485–488

487

of oscillation frequency of the LV, we calculated LVpressures at seven points during a single cardiac contraction (from 15 ms before the R wave of the electrocardiogram to 15 ms after it with 5 ms intervals).
2.3. Subjects
The summarized data for the patients are displayed inTable 1. The patients ranged from 44 to 63 y.o. (male;4, female; 1), and were between I and II of NYHA
classification. During cardiac catheterization, we
detected the LV wall motion from the ultrasonic pulse
reflected from interventricular septum. All patients
showed neither regional reduction of septal wall movement nor marked unevenness of LV wall thickness. The
details of the procedure to detect LV wall vibration were
described elsewhere [3]. We compared the estimated LVpressure with that obtained by catheter–micromanometer(PC-350A, Millar Instrument).

3. Results
In Fig. 2, a typical example of the detected vibrationof the LV wall and its spectral distribution are displayed(patient No. 1 in Table 1). The frequencies ranged from
24–27 Hz. In the lower panel of Fig. 2, the LV pressure
estimated by this method and that obtained by catheter
micromanometer are displayed. The estimated, calculated pressure was similar to that measured directly by
the catheter; the difference was, on average, 6.59 ±0.14 mmHg (mean ± SEM).
The average difference between the calculated pressures and the directly measured pressure for all patients
ranged between − 4.63 to 6.59 mmHg, as shown in Table
1. The average difference for all data points was − 0.28
± 0.79 mmHg. In the lowest two rows in Table 1, LV
pressure at the timing of the R wave of the electrocardiogram obtained by the calculation method and direct car-Fig. 2. Results of the experiment. A: electrocardiogram (ECG); B:
detected vibration of the LV wall; C: density plot of the power spectrum. The white line in the lower panel indicated by an arrow is thetime course of the instantaneous oscillation frequency of the LV wall.
D: LV pressure (LVP); solid line: measured by catheter; open square:estimated LVP.

diac catheterization measurement are presented. The calculated pressures were approximately equal to themeasured pressure obtained by catheter.

Table 1
Summarized data of the patients
n.o.

1

2

3

4

5

mean

Age
GenderDiagnosis
NYHA
⌬P
␴p
LVPR cal
LVPR measured

63
M
DCM
II
6.59
0.14
13.2
6.3

60
M
MR
I
2.42
0.94
25.6
22.5

57
M
DCM and OMI
I
1.41
0.37
7.8
8.7

61
F
DCM
II
−4.47
0.38
23.4
27.4

44
M
DCM
II
−4.63
0.96
21.3
25.4

57

−0.28
0.79

DCM: Dilated cardiomyopathy; MR: mitral regurgitation; OMI: old myocardial infarction; NYHA: New York Heart Association classification; ⌬P:mean difference of pressure (calculation–measured) of seven points at around end-diastole (from 15 ms before the R wave of the electrocardiogram
to after 15 ms of it with 5 ms intervals); ␴p: standard error of the difference of pressure at seven points; LVPR cal: calculated LV pressure at the
R wave of the electrocardiogram; LVPR measured: LV pressure at the R wave measured by catheter.

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4. Discussion
In the present study, we showed that it is possible toobtain an approximate estimation of LV pressure ataround end-diastole. However, it is difficult to draw
definite conclusions regarding the feasibility and theaccuracy of the method based on five cases. We have toextend the number of data to more subjects and examine
the relationship between the data obtained by the proposed method and that obtained by direct measurement.
Several limitations of the present study need to be considered. First, this method assumes that LV is spherical.
In the case of an isolated canine heart, the right ventricle
and atria were excised and therefore, the LV was nearly
spherical during diastole. On the other hand, the human
LV in the closed chest is ellipsoidal rather than sphericalin shape, based on the consideration of the axis ratio.
This may be the underlying cause of the difference
between the calculated LV pressure and the direct
measurement. Therefore, the model relating LV pressure
to LV geometry and stiffness needs to be examined infuture for detail to find a suitable model that is applicableto humans. Second, Advani-Lee’s elasticity (myocardial
elasticity for a spheroidal deformation) may not be equal
to Mirsky’s elasticity (myocardial elasticity for a spherical volume change). The preliminary examination ofcanine preparations suggests that Mirsky’s elasticity isalmost equal, albeit not exactly, to that of Advani-Lee’selasticity. Hence an empirical expansion of Mirsky’s
elasticity could provide a more precise estimation of LV
pressure. Therefore, further examinations are required todetermine empirical factors, if any, in humans to expand
one equation. Third, there are many factors that may
reduce the accuracy of the pressure estimation, such as
regional hypo- or akinesis of the LV wall, marked
hypertrophy or thinning of the regional wall, pulmonary
hypertension, regional difference of myocardial elasticity such as observed in angina pectoris. Future studies,

therefore, should focus on the effects of different typesof cardiac diseases on the accuracy of non-invasive
measurement.
In the present study, we showed that one can obtainan approximate estimate of LV pressure at around enddiastole non-invasively. However, at present, the method
requires improvements to allow it to be used in generalpractical use. Nevertheless, non-invasive measurementof LV pressure at around end-diastole will soon be realized for clinical application in the near future.
5. Conclusion

1. We could measure the oscillation frequency of human
LV at around end-diastole.
2. Five cases provided a non-invasive approximation of
LV pressure at around end-diastole that was similar
but not identical, to directly measured pressure.
3. Further studies employing a larger study group are
required to establish the accuracy of the method.

References[1] Sato M, Kanai H, Chubachi N, Honda H, Koiwa Y. Method fornoninvasive estimation of left ventricular end diastolic pressure
based on analysis of heart wall vibration. Electronics Letters
1996;32:949–50.
[2] Honda H, Koiwa Y, Takagi T, Kikuchi J, Hoshi N, Takishima T.
Noninvasive measurement of left ventricular myocardial elasticity.
Am J Physiol 1994;266:H881–90.
[3] Kanai H, Sato M, Koiwa Y, Chyubachi N. Transcutaneous
measurement and spectrum analysis of heart wall vibrations. IEEE
Trans UFFC 1996;43:791–810.
[4] Advani SH, Lee YC. Free vibration of fluid-filled spherical shells.
J Sound Vib 1970;12:454–62.
[5] Mirsky I, Parmley WW. Assessment of passive elastic stiffness for
isolated heart muscle and intact heart. Circ Res 1973;33:233–43.