Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 17, 2026
Murine Echocardiography of Left Atrium, Aorta, and Pulmonary Artery
Published on: February 20, 2017
Noninvasive assessment of pulmonary arterial capacitance by echocardiography
Mark K Friedberg1, Jeffrey A Feinstein, David N Rosenthal
1Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA.
Background:
Pulmonary arterial capacitance (PAC) has been associated with right ventricular (RV) workload and mortality in pulmonary hypertension, but is not routinely evaluated in children. We investigated whether PAC can be estimated noninvasively by echocardiography.
Methods:
We retrospectively determined PAC in 31 children with pulmonary hypertension, using echocardiography, and compared the results with those obtained at cardiac catheterization.
Results:
PAC derived from echocardiography was similar to that derived from catheterization (mean +/- SD 1.16 +/- 1.0 vs 1.10 +/- 0.95 mL(3) x mm Hg(-1), P = not significant) and the two correlated well (r = 0.74, P < .0001). There was a highly significant polynomial relationship between PAC and RV anterior wall thickness indexed to body surface area (R(2) = 0.54, P < .0001), but not between pulmonary vascular resistance and RV wall thickness. Pulmonary vascular resistance and PAC did not correlate.
Conclusions:
Echocardiography can reliably estimate PAC, which strongly correlates with RV hypertrophy, a surrogate for RV work.
Related Concept Videos
01:17Imaging Studies for Cardiovascular System I:Echocardiography
Indications: Echocardiography is utilized to diagnose heart failure, valve disorders, and myocardial infarction. It also assesses cardiac structures' size, shape, and motion, evaluates...
01:20Imaging Studies for Cardiovascular System II:Types of Echocardiography
Types of Echocardiography
Transthoracic Echocardiography (TTE)
TTE is the most common type of echocardiogram which involves placing a transducer on the patient's chest, emitting sound waves to create heart images. TTE is invaluable for evaluating the heart's size, structure, and motion, making it particularly useful for diagnosing...
01:17Assessment of Diffusion and Perfusion
The Role of Diffusion in Respiration
Diffusion is the process by which molecules move from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration. In the respiratory system, this principle...