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Much remains unknown about the patterns of ventricular contraction. in healthy and dis eased conditions, particularly for man and animals in an awake unanesthetized state. Over the past 80 years roentgenologic methods, particularly fluoroscopic observations, remain. the simplest. and most practical methods for obtaining functional information. about the heart. With advances in radiographic technology, various elaborate methods have been developed to record precise and detailed informa tion about. heart functions utilizing conven tional large-film radiography and roentgen video- and cinematography. (1). Such studies have allowed. for measurement of cardiac chamber volumes and dimensions and for the description, of cardiac function, in hydraulic and mechanical terms (2,3). The portionofthis book dealing with anglocardlography and image processing is divided into three parts: (1) a. discussion. of the available instrumentation, (2) an evaluation of methods for extracting and processing data from radiological images, and (3) an assessment of clinical uses of derived. information. It will be the purpose of this introductory presentation briefly to review the history of angiography and the manner in which it has been used to make qualitative and quantitative measurements of heart and vessel geometry. Resultant. information coll cerning internal cardiac structure and form has added, a new depth to assessment of physio logic function and an improved ability to evaluate cardiac performance duringdiseased states. Automation of measurements is now proceeding. rapidly. As these, methods are proving to be of value they are being applied increasingly to larger sections of the population to assist in cardiac diagnosis and health care.
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