[Doppler echocardiographic evaluation of right heart pressure in children with ventricular septal defect]

Thirty seven children with ventricular septal defects (VSD) alone or associated with other malformations were examined by Doppler echocardiography to evaluate systolic right ventricular pressure (SRVP) non-invasively. All patients underwent cardiac catheterisation within 48 hours of the Doppler estimation. The maximum interventricular pressure gradient could be assessed in 32 patients (86%) from the recording of the maximum velocity of the VSD jet using the simplified Bernoulli formula. The SRVP was calculated by subtracting the maximum interventricular pressure gradient from the systolic blood pressure measured by sphygmomanometry. The SRVP estimated by continuous wave Doppler ranged from 24 to 108 mmHg (mean: 60 mmHg) compared with 20 to 109 mmHg (mean: 64 mmHg) at catheterisation. Two types of correlation were sought: 1) between the maximum interventricular pressure gradient measured by Doppler echo and the peak-to-peak LV-RV pressure gradient (r = 0.95; SD = 6 mmHg; Y = 1.03 x X + 1.3); 2) and between the SRVP measured by Doppler and by catheterisation (r = 0.94; SD = 6 mmHg; Y = 1.06 x X + 7.7). These results show that the maximum velocity of the interventricular jet and thereby the SRVP may be accurately measured by Doppler echocardiography in the majority of patients with VSD.