Journal of nuclear medicine : official publication, Society of Nuclear Medicine
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An experimental model was developed using ellipsoidal balloons of different volumes to derive an empirical formula linking the "normalized" total count rates on gamma-camera images to volume. The normalized total count rate (NTC) is defined as the total count rate divided by the maximum count density. ⋯ The distance from the left ventricle to the collimator was estimated from the patient's height and weight. The volumes calculated by the radionuclide method were compared with angiographic volumes obtained at cardiac catheterization, and good correlation was found (r = 0.95).