[Relation between the size of the left-right shunt and pulmonary resistance in congenital heart defects]

Relation between pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) and left-to-right (L-D) shunt has been statistically tested in 87 patients with congenital heart diseases. In all patients, PVR and L-D shunt were calculated from the catheterization test results. Among 87 patients, 45 (52%) were female and 42 (48%) male children. The average age at the catheterization was 4.63 (min 6 mo, max 15 yr). Patients were divided into two groups with regard to the level of PVR. The first group consisted of patients with PVR higher than 160 dyn sec cm-5, and the second group with PVR lower than 160 dyn sec cm-5. The whole group was also divided according to VSD, and separate correlation was done for ASD with PVR below 160 dyn sec cm-5. A negative statistically significant correlation was observed between the height of PVR and size of L-D shunt among the entire group with PVR higher than 160 dyn sec cm-5, regardless of congenital heart disease (N = 29, r = -0.4676, P < 0.05). Also, a negative statistically significant correlation was found between PVR and L-D shunt in VSD, with PVR higher than 160 dyn sec cm-5 (N = 17, r = -0.669, P < 0.05). Among patients with low PVR, there was no negative statistically significant correlation between PVR and L-D shunt, neither for the whole group (N = 58, r = 0.1174, P > 0.05), nor among the patients with VSD r = -0.0133, P > 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)