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[Evaluation of atrial septum defects in adulthood using echocardiography methods]
H Kücherer1, A Eisenbarth, S Hardt
1Universität Heidelberg Innere Medizin III.
Zeitschrift Fur Kardiologie
|August 1, 1996
Summary
Echocardiography can detect atrial septal defects, but noninvasive measures like right ventricular dimensions and defect size show limited accuracy in predicting shunt magnitude. Septal defect dimensions and Qp/Qs index offer fair correlation with shunt size.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Medical Imaging
- Pediatric Cardiology
Background:
- Atrial septal defects (ASDs) are common congenital heart conditions.
- Accurate assessment of shunt magnitude is crucial for clinical management.
- Noninvasive echocardiographic methods are widely used for ASD detection.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the accuracy of two-dimensional and Doppler echocardiography in predicting the magnitude of intracardiac left-to-right shunts in patients with ASD.
- To compare noninvasive echocardiographic parameters with invasively measured shunt size.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 30 patients with invasively confirmed ASDs.
- Derivation of right ventricular dimensions, septal defect dimensions, and Qp/Qs ratios using echocardiography.
- Comparison of echocardiographic parameters with shunt size determined by oxymetry.
Main Results:
- Right ventricular dimensions showed poor correlation with shunt size.
- Septal defect dimensions and Qp/Qs index demonstrated fair correlation with shunt size.
- Echocardiographic parameters were effective in detecting shunts >30%, but could not differentiate moderate from large shunts.
Conclusions:
- While echocardiography can detect ASDs and estimate shunt size, its ability to precisely quantify shunt magnitude is limited.
- Septal defect dimensions and Qp/Qs index are more reliable than RV dimensions for estimating shunt size.
- Further research is needed to improve noninvasive methods for differentiating moderate from large left-to-right shunts.