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Updated: May 7, 2026
Transcutaneous Microcirculatory Imaging in Preterm Neonates
Published on: December 31, 2015
Tissue Doppler imaging in very preterm infants during the first 24 h of life: an observational study
Insights
Myocardial function in preterm infants significantly decreases within the first 12 hours after birth. This study assessed cardiac function in very preterm newborns using color tissue Doppler imaging (cTDI).
Area of Science:
- Neonatal Cardiology
- Pediatric Cardiovascular Research
- Fetal and Neonatal Physiology
Background:
- Very preterm infants often require cardiovascular support.
- Understanding immature myocardial function is crucial for optimizing care.
- Knowledge gaps exist regarding factors influencing the neonatal myocardium.
Purpose of the Study:
- To serially assess global myocardial function in very and extremely preterm infants.
- Utilize color tissue Doppler imaging (cTDI) during the initial 24 hours of life.
- Investigate changes in myocardial function in the early neonatal period.
Main Methods:
- Prospective, observational, longitudinal cohort study in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
- Echocardiographic examinations including cTDI performed at 5, 12, and 24 hours post-birth.
- Sixty-five infants (gestational age 24-31 weeks) were included.
Main Results:
- Significant reduction in systolic and diastolic velocities and displacement of both ventricles observed from 5 to 12 hours.
- Non-significant increase in myocardial velocities and displacement from 12 to 24 hours.
- Infants with hemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) showed higher ventricular velocities at 5 hours.
Conclusions:
- Myocardial tissue velocities significantly decrease in very preterm infants between 5 and 12 hours post-birth.
- Further research is necessary to validate these findings.
- Clinical implications of these myocardial function changes require further investigation.
Background:
Very preterm newborn infants often need cardiovascular support. More knowledge about myocardial function and factors that influence the immature myocardium may be helpful for optimising cardiovascular support in these infants.
Objective:
Serial assessment of global myocardial function by means of colour tissue Doppler imaging (cTDI) in very and extremely preterm infants during the first 24 h of life.
Study Design:
One-centre, prospective, observational longitudinal cohort study in a third level Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Sixty-five infants with median (range) gestational age (GA) 27 (24-31) weeks and birth weight (BW) 1049 (484-1620) g underwent echocardiographic examinations including cTDI at 5, 12 and 24 h after birth.
Main Outcome Measures:
Peak systolic and peak diastolic annular velocity and peak annular displacement of the left and right ventricle.
Results:
There was a significant reduction in systolic and diastolic velocities and displacement of both ventricles from 5 to 12 h age. From 12 to 24 h, there was a non-significant increase in myocardial velocities and displacement. At 5 h, babies with haemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) had significantly higher systolic and diastolic velocities in both ventricles than those with non-significant PDA.
Conclusions:
Myocardial tissue velocities decrease significantly from 5 to 12 h after birth in very preterm infants. Further studies are needed to confirm these results and to determine their clinical implications.
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