All issues > Volume 32(7); 1989

Original Article

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 1989;32(7):951-957. Published online July 31, 1989.

Continous Wave Dopple Echocardiographic Prediction of Pulmonary Arterial Hupertension in Congenital Heart Disease.

Jung Suk Lee¹, Mi Jung Ko¹, Yeon Gyun Oh¹, Hyang Suk Yoon¹

¹Department of Pediatrics. Wonkwang University, School of Medicine, I Ri, Korea

Received: December 27, 1988;  Accepted: December 30, 1988.

Abstract

This study determines the accuracy of Doppler echocardiography for predicting the presence of pulmonary artery hypertension from Doppler pulmonary artery velocity traces. The patient group included 26 patients with congenital cardiac disease who had undergone catheterization. Doppler measurements of acceleration time(AT), right ventricular ejection time (RVET), and AT/ RVET were compared with pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) and mean pulmonary artery pressure (m-PAP). We devided the patients in 3 groups; PAP 30 mmHg, PAP 31 〜 59 mmHg，PAP 60 mmHg. The results were as follows; 1) The ratio of Doppler AT and AT/RVET in the group of PAP below 60 mmHg showed overlap- ping. 2) In the group of PAP ^60 mmHg, all of them showed that AT was below 0.10 sec and AT/RVET was below 0.27 sec. According to the raise of PAP, the ratio of Doppler AT and AT/RVET showed significant decrease (P < 0.001), RVET also showed somewhat decrease but there was no significant difference. 3) The ratio of Doppler AT and AT/RVET showed relative high correlation (r=-0.70) with PAP measured by cardiac catheterization in all group. 4) In the group of PAP ^30 mmHg, n = 18, the ratio of Doppler AT and AT/RVET showed relative high correlation with PAP measured by cardiac catheterization (r = -0.79, -0.80). In our experience, the use of this technique permitted the noninvasive estimation of the pulmonary artery pressure.

Keywords :Continuous wave Doppler echocardiography, Acceleration time, Pulmonary artery hypertension