Great vessel, cardiac chamber, and wall growth patterns in normal children

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Cardiology
• Echocardiography
• Cardiac Physiology

Background:

• Establishing normative echocardiographic data is crucial for accurate pediatric cardiac assessment.
• Variations in cardiac dimensions and function exist across different age groups and body sizes in children.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish normal echocardiographic measurements for pediatric patients from infancy to adulthood.
• To define reference ranges for valvular motion, cardiac cavity dimensions, great vessel diameters, and ventricular wall thicknesses.

Main Methods:

• Conducted echocardiograms on 205 healthy children using standardized protocols.
• Measured key cardiac parameters including ventricular dimensions, wall thicknesses, great vessel diameters, and valvular motion.
• Grouped data into the 5th, 50th, and 95th percentiles based on body surface area.

Main Results:

• Presented comprehensive echocardiographic measurements stratified by body surface area.
• Developed percentile-based graphs for comparing individual patient measurements to normal standards.
• Provided normative data for left and right ventricular dimensions, septal and free wall thicknesses, and great artery diameters.

Conclusions:

• The established reference ranges facilitate the interpretation of echocardiograms in pediatric populations.
• This study offers a valuable tool for clinicians to assess cardiac health and identify abnormalities in children.
• Normative echocardiographic data are essential for precise diagnosis and management of pediatric cardiovascular diseases.