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Published on: February 3, 2014
Measurement of right ventricular mechanical synchrony in children using tissue Doppler velocity and two-dimensional
Wei Hui1, Cameron Slorach, Timothy J Bradley
1Labatt Family Heart Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
Insights
This study shows that measuring right ventricular (RV) mechanical synchrony is feasible in healthy children using Doppler tissue imaging and speckle tracking. These methods can assess RV synchrony in pediatric populations.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Echocardiography
- Cardiac Mechanics
Background:
- Right ventricular (RV) mechanical dyssynchrony is linked to RV dysfunction.
- Assessing RV synchrony in children is crucial for understanding cardiac health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the feasibility of measuring RV synchrony in normal children.
- To compare Doppler tissue imaging and 2D speckle tracking for RV synchrony assessment.
Main Methods:
- Measured RV delay and standard deviation of time to peak velocity/strain.
- Corrected measurements for heart rate.
- Analyzed intraobserver and interobserver reliability.
Main Results:
- RV delay analysis was feasible in 95% of children via Doppler tissue imaging and 63% via 2D speckle tracking.
- Normal RV delay values were established for systole and diastole.
- Variability analysis revealed small absolute differences but high variability due to positive/negative delays.
Conclusions:
- Measurement of RV mechanical synchrony is feasible in healthy children aged 3-18 years.
- Doppler tissue imaging demonstrated higher feasibility than 2D speckle tracking.
Background:
Right ventricular (RV) mechanical dyssynchrony may be associated with RV dysfunction. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of measuring RV synchrony in normal children using Doppler tissue imaging and two-dimensional speckle tracking.
Methods:
The RV delay (difference in time to peak velocity or two-dimensional strain between the RV lateral wall and the interventricular septum) and standard deviation of time to peak velocity or strain were measured and corrected for heart rate. Intraobserver and interobserver reliabilities were analyzed.
Results:
One hundred three children were studied. RV delay analysis was feasible in 95% by Doppler tissue imaging and in 63% by two-dimensional speckle tracking (99% and 84% when imaging was adequate). The mean ± 2 standard deviations RV delay by either method was <70 msec or <8% of the cardiac cycle in systole and <65 msec or <7% of the cardiac cycle in diastole. Intraobserver and interobserver variability showed small absolute differences but high variability because delays were either positive or negative.
Conclusion:
This study establishes the feasibility of the measurement of RV mechanical synchrony in normal children aged 3 to 18 years.
