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Pulmonary venous flow Doppler velocities in children
L Abdurrahman1, B D Hoit, A Banerjee
1Division of Cardiology, Children's Hospital Medical Center and University of Cincinnati, Ohio 45229-3039, USA.
Insights
Pulmonary venous (PV) flow Doppler velocities show wide variation in children, correlating with age and heart rate. However, these velocities do not reliably distinguish age groups in pediatric populations.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Cardiovascular Physiology
- Diagnostic Ultrasound
Background:
- Pulmonary venous (PV) flow is crucial for assessing left atrial and ventricular function.
- Establishing normal reference ranges for PV flow Doppler velocities in children is essential for accurate diagnosis.
- Previous studies have focused on adult populations, necessitating pediatric-specific data.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish normal pulmonary venous (PV) flow Doppler velocity reference ranges in a pediatric cohort.
- To investigate the correlation of PV flow velocities with heart rate and age in healthy children.
- To compare PV flow characteristics with mitral inflow patterns.
Main Methods:
- Prospective study involving 68 healthy children.
- Utilized Doppler echocardiography to measure pulmonary venous (PV) flow velocities.
- Analyzed peak systolic forward flow, atrial reversal flow, and their durations.
Main Results:
- A wide range of PV flow velocities was observed in normal children.
- PV flow velocities demonstrated correlations with both age and heart rate.
- Peak systolic forward flow and atrial reversal flow velocities were independent of heart rate.
- Atrial reversal flow velocity did not correlate with mitral inflow A velocity.
Conclusions:
- Normal PV flow Doppler velocities exhibit considerable variability in children.
- While age and heart rate influence PV flow, they do not definitively stratify pediatric age groups.
- PV flow dynamics offer insights into atrial function, with atrial reversal flow distinct from mitral inflow A velocity.
Abstract:
We report the results of a prospective study of pulmonary venous (PV) flow Doppler velocities in 68 normal children. We sought to establish the normal PV flow velocities in the broad pediatric population, compare these velocities to heart rate and age. In normal children, there is a wide range of PV flow velocities, most of which correlate with age and heart rate. However, the PV flow velocities and their durations do not distinguish the age groups. The peak velocity of systolic forward flow and atrial reversal flow in the pulmonary vein were independent of heart rate. The PV flow peak systolic velocity showed a weak correlation with the velocity of the mitral inflow early wave. However, the velocity of atrial reversal flow showed no correlation with the mitral inflow A velocity (late wave), which is generated by the same force of atrial contraction.