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Evaluation of Pulse Wave Velocity using Transthoracic Echocardiography in Children with Bicuspid Aortic Valve
1Department of Pediatric Cardiology - Diyarbakir Children's Hospital, Diyarbakır - Turquia.
Insights
Pulse wave velocity (PWV) is significantly higher in children with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV), indicating increased aortic stiffness. Echocardiography offers a reliable method for measuring PWV in these patients.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Cardiovascular Imaging
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) is associated with increased aortic stiffness, potentially impacting patient morbidity and mortality.
- Assessing aortic elasticity is crucial for understanding cardiovascular risk in BAV patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate aortic elasticity properties in pediatric patients with BAV.
- To assess the utility of transthoracic echocardiography for measuring pulse wave velocity (PWV) in BAV patients.
Main Methods:
- Fifty pediatric patients with BAV and 50 healthy controls were enrolled.
- Transthoracic echocardiography was used to measure PWV and assess aortic dimensions and ventricular function.
- BAV patients were categorized by fused cusp morphology, with normal or near-normal valve function.
Main Results:
- Pulse wave velocity (PWV) was significantly elevated in the BAV group compared to controls (p=0.000).
- Ascending aorta diameters were larger in BAV patients, but conventional aortic elasticity parameters were similar.
- PWV correlated with ascending aorta diameter, aortic regurgitation severity, and peak aortic velocity.
Conclusions:
- Children with BAV exhibit increased aortic stiffness, evidenced by higher PWV, despite normal conventional elasticity measurements.
- Transthoracic echocardiography provides a reliable and reproducible method for PWV assessment in pediatric BAV.
- This technique enhances the evaluation of cardiovascular risk in BAV patients without requiring additional equipment.
Background:
Increased aortic stiffness in patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) may significantly affect morbidity and mortality.
Objective:
We aimed to evaluate aortic elasticity properties and the usability of the new technique by measuring pulse wave velocity (PWV) with a transthoracic echocardiography device in patients with BAV.
Methods:
Fifty patients with BAV and 50 healthy children with similar demographic characteristics were included in this study. Patients with BAV were grouped according to fused cusp morphology. Valve function was normal or near normal in the patients with BAV included in the study. All patients' left ventricular function, aortic root diameter, and aortic elasticity characteristics were evaluated. A p-value <0.05 was considered significant.
Results:
PWV was significantly higher in the BAV group (p=0.000). Aortic elasticity parameters obtained from ascending aorta diameters were similar between the groups. Ascending aorta diameters were significantly higher in the BAV group. There was a correlation between PWV, ascending aortic diameter, vena contracta in aortic regurgitation, and peak aortic velocity. PWV inter- and intraobserver reliability alpha values were 0.92 and 0.84, respectively.
Conclusions:
In the pediatric BAV group with normal or near-normal valve function, although aortic elasticity parameters were normal with conventional measurements based on ascending aorta diameters, PWV measurements with the same device were significantly higher without the need for an additional apparatus or program, and aortic stiffness increased in the BAV group. PWV measurement by echocardiography is a reliable and reproducible technique.
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