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New reference values for echocardiographic dimensions of healthy Dutch children
L I H Overbeek1, L Kapusta, P G M Peer
1Children's Heart Centre, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, PO Box 9101, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Insights
New echocardiographic reference values for heart dimensions in children have been established. These updated pediatric cardiology guidelines show thinner heart walls than previously recorded, independent of gender.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Echocardiography
- Cardiovascular Health
Background:
- Echocardiographic reference values for heart dimensions in children require periodic updates.
- Previous reference values may not accurately reflect current pediatric populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish current echocardiographic reference values for heart dimensions in healthy children.
- To compare new reference values with historical data.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of M-mode echocardiograms from 587 healthy children (birth to 18 years).
- Measurement of left ventricle (LV) dimensions, interventricular septum (IVS), and LV posterior wall thickness (LVPW).
Main Results:
- Established new regression lines for pediatric heart dimensions.
- Found significant differences compared to values from the early eighties, with thinner IVS observed.
- Regression lines were independent of gender.
Conclusions:
- New echocardiographic reference values for pediatric heart dimensions are proposed.
- No gender-based differences were found in the new reference values.
- The reasons for thinner muscular walls compared to 20 years ago require further investigation.
Aim:
To renew the echocardiographic reference values of heart dimensions in healthy children.
Methods And Results:
Group 1 consisted of 587 children, of which 361 boys and 226 girls, age from birth to 18 years, body weight over 2500 g, who visited the Pediatric Cardiology outclinic during the period January 2000 till March 2004. All included children were diagnosed as normal, or as having innocent heart murmur. The second group was taken from an earlier study and comprised 160 children (77 boys and 83 girls). The echocardiographic measures were taken from conventional M-mode recording of the left ventricle (LV) parasternal long axis view. End diastolic septal (IVS) and LV posterior wall thickness (LVPW) and end diastolic as well as end systolic LV intracavity dimensions were retrospectively analyzed. The regression lines from all measured sizes are significantly different from those collected in the early eighties. Especially the thickness of the IVS is smaller. The regression lines are independent of gender.
Conclusions:
New reference values have been found which should replace the presently used ones. There is no difference between boys and girls. Why the muscular wall thicknesses are thinner than found 20 years ago needs to be further explored.
