Normal regional right ventricular function and its change with age: a Doppler myocardial imaging study

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Medical Imaging
• Physiology

Background:

• Doppler Myocardial Imaging (DMI) is an emerging technique for assessing left ventricular (LV) function.
• Normal values and age-related changes for right ventricular (RV) myocardial velocities are not well-established.
• Understanding RV function is crucial for comprehensive cardiac assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish normal regional myocardial velocity values for the right ventricle (RV) using Doppler Myocardial Imaging (DMI).
• To investigate age-related changes in RV systolic and diastolic velocities.
• To compare regional RV and LV myocardial velocities.

Main Methods:

• Color DMI was performed on 32 healthy volunteers (aged 16-76 years).
• Regional velocities were measured from the RV free wall and tricuspid annulus.
• LV velocities were also recorded and compared with corresponding RV velocities.

Main Results:

• RV free wall systolic velocities were significantly higher than corresponding LV segments.
• Older subjects exhibited lower RV long-axis velocities but higher short-axis systolic velocities.
• A negative correlation between age and diastolic velocity ratio was observed in all RV free wall segments.

Conclusions:

• The right ventricle demonstrates higher long-axis regional velocities and greater atrioventricular valve ring excursion than the left ventricle.
• Longitudinal shortening is the predominant function in healthy young subjects' RV.
• Normal age-related changes in diastolic velocities for the RV free wall have been defined.