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Evaluation of Left Ventricular Structure and Function using 3D Echocardiography
06:34

Evaluation of Left Ventricular Structure and Function using 3D Echocardiography

Published on: October 28, 2020

Evaluation of left ventricular size and function by echocardiography. Results in normal children

H P Gutgesell, M Paquet, D F Duff

    Circulation
    |September 1, 1977
    PubMed

    Insights

    Echocardiography reveals left ventricular (LV) size increases with body weight in children. Key LV function indices, like %deltaLVD and PEP/LVET ratio, remain stable throughout childhood.

    Area of Science:

    • Pediatric Cardiology
    • Echocardiography
    • Cardiovascular Physiology

    Background:

    • Assessing left ventricular (LV) size and function is crucial in pediatric cardiology.
    • Establishing normative data for LV parameters in healthy children is essential for diagnosing cardiac abnormalities.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To characterize normal left ventricular (LV) size and function in a cohort of healthy children using echocardiography.
    • To identify reliable echocardiographic indices of LV function that remain constant throughout childhood.

    Main Methods:

    • Echocardiography was performed on 145 normal children to measure LV end-diastolic diameter (EDD), % change with systole (%deltaLVD), and mean velocity of circumferential fiber shortening (Vcf).
    • LV pre-ejection period (PEP) and ejection time (LVET) were recorded using aortic valve motion.
    • Statistical analysis correlated LV parameters with body weight, body surface area, age, and heart rate.

    Main Results:

    • LV end-diastolic diameter (EDD) showed a strong correlation with log body weight (r=0.95) and log body surface area (r=0.96), increasing threefold during childhood.
    • The %deltaLVD, an index of LV function, was consistently around 36% and independent of age and heart rate.
    • The PEP/LVET ratio was found to be relatively independent of age and heart rate, averaging 0.31.

    Conclusions:

    • Left ventricular (LV) size increases significantly with growth, correlating strongly with body weight and surface area in children.
    • The %deltaLVD and PEP/LVET ratio are robust and reliable echocardiographic indices of left ventricular (LV) function in children, showing stability across different ages.
    • These stable indices provide valuable tools for monitoring pediatric cardiac health and detecting functional abnormalities.

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