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Updated: May 8, 2026
Evaluation of Left Ventricular Structure and Function using 3D Echocardiography
Published on: October 28, 2020
Developmental changes in left and right ventricular function evaluated with color tissue Doppler imaging and strain
Miharu Akao1, Yasuhiro Katsube, Mitsuhiro Kamisago
1Department of Pediatrics, Nippon Medical School Musashi Kosugi Hospital, Kanagawa, Japan. miharu@nms.ac.jp
Insights
Pediatric cardiac function, assessed by echocardiography, shows significant changes in the first year of life. Key systolic and diastolic variables mature rapidly in infants, stabilizing by age one.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Echocardiography
- Cardiac Physiology
Background:
- Assessing ventricular function in children is crucial for understanding cardiac development.
- Echocardiography techniques like Doppler imaging and tissue tracking offer detailed insights into cardiac mechanics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the systolic and diastolic functions of both ventricles in healthy children from infancy to adolescence.
- To characterize the developmental changes in cardiac function using advanced echocardiographic methods.
Main Methods:
- 100 healthy children aged 1 month to 13 years were studied.
- Color tissue Doppler imaging and 2D speckle tracking echocardiography were employed.
- Measurements included mitral/tricuspid inflow velocities (E), myocardial velocities (S', E'), and strain (longitudinal and radial).
Main Results:
- Systolic indices (S', strain) increased significantly, reaching adult-like values by 1 year of age.
- The early diastolic filling index (E/E') was high in neonates and infants, decreasing by 1 year.
- Cardiac function parameters demonstrated rapid development in the first year, followed by stabilization.
Conclusions:
- Significant changes in systolic and diastolic cardiac function occur from birth to 1 year.
- Pediatric cardiac function exhibits marked maturation in infancy, with minimal changes thereafter.
Aims:
We evaluated the systolic and diastolic functions of both ventricles from the early neonatal period to adolescence using color tissue Doppler imaging and 2-dimensional tissue tracking echocardiography.
Methods:
We examined 100 healthy children (aged 1-5 days, n = 20; 1 month, n = 20; 1 year, n = 20; 6-7 years, n = 20; and 12-13 years, n = 20). Blood flow velocities in the mitral and tricuspid valves (E) were obtained with pulsed Doppler imaging, and longitudinal systolic (S') and early diastolic (E') peak velocities at the mid free wall segment of both ventricles were obtained with color tissue Doppler imaging. For longitudinal strain imaging, systolic peak values were obtained at the same position. In addition, peak systolic radial strain was obtained from a short-axis view of the left ventricle using the tissue tracking method. The E/E' ratio was calculated.
Results:
Regarding systolic indices, S' increased during development and stabilized at 6 to 7 years, and longitudinal strain reached values of the 12- to 13-year-old group at 1 year of age in both ventricles. Like longitudinal strain, radial strain in the left ventricle reached values of the 12- to 13-year-old group at the age of 1 year. Similarly, the E/E' ratio was high at 1 month or younger and decreased by 1 year.
Conclusions:
Systolic and diastolic variables change markedly from birth to 1 year of age and show only small changes thereafter.
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