Abstract
Background: Cardiovascular diseases are one of the most important causes of death in hemodialysis patients. Few researches focused on the right ventricle functions in such patients. The rapid development of the 3D echocardiography gave a new dimension in the diagnosis and treatment plan.
Aim of Study: To compare the two dimensional (2D) and three dimensional (3D) echocardiography in the assessment of right ventricular functions in nondiabetic, normotensive, hemodialysis patients.
Patients and Methods: The study included 20 patients who were subjected to complete history tacking, full clinical examination, laboratory investigations and assessment of the right ventricular functions using 2D and 3D echocardiography.
Results: The 3D echocardiography showed statistically significant differences compared to the 2D echocardiography in the assessment of the right ventricular functions. Fractional area change showed a mean of 33.25±9.21 compared to 38.05± 7.88 of the ejection fraction gained from the 3D echocardiog-raphy. The sensitivity and specificity of the 3D echocardiog-raphy were 100% and 80% compared to 73.3% and 60% for the 2D echocardiography. Moreover the degree of accuracy of the 3D echocardiography was 95% compared to 70% for the 2D echocardiography.
Conclusion: The 3D echocardiography was more superior than the 2D echocardiography in the assessment of right ventricular functions in nondiabetic, normotensive, hemodi-alysis patients.