All issues > Volume 30(3); 1987

Original Article

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 1987;30(3):275-280. Published online March 31, 1987.

Diagnosis of Patent Ductus Arteriosus by Pulsed Doppler Echocardiography; Sensitivity and Specificity.

In Youl Ma¹, Jin Gon Jun¹, Jeong Ok Hah¹

¹Department of Pediatrics, Yeungnam Medical Center, Taegu, Korea

Abstract

For the determination of the sensitivity and specificity of pulsed Doppler echocardiographic (PDE) diagnosis of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), we evaluated 108 children with congenital heart disease by suprasternal and parasternal approaches. PDA was diagnosed when continuous turbulent flow(CTF) or PDA jet flow was recorded in main pulmonary artery (MPA) by parasternal approach and when reverse diastolic flow(RDF) was detected in descending aorta and no RDF was detected in ascending aorta by suprasternal approach. PDA was proved by surgery in 43 of 108 children with congenital heart disease, and all children had PDE and surgical correction of their heart deformities. On PDE examination, CTF was recorded in 40 of the 43 children with PDA and RDF in descending aorta was detected in 38 of the 43 children with PDA and no RDF in ascending aorta was detected in all patients with PDA. And all patients who have CTF in MPA or RDF in descending aorta were found to have PDA. Thus pulsed Doppler echocardiographic diagnosis of PDA by CTF or PDA jet flow in MPA has sensitivity of 93% and specificity of 100%, and diagnosis of PDA by RDF in descending aorta has sensitivity of 88.4% and specificity of 100%. So we concluded that pulsed Doppler echocardiographic diagnosis of PDA by suprasternal and parasternal approaches was specific and sensitive method and a careful pulsed Doppler echocardiographic examination may avoid the unnecessary cardiac catheterization in patients with PDA.

Keywords :Pulsed doppler echocardiography, PDA.