Assessment of myocardial velocities in healthy children using tissue Doppler imaging

The objective was to determine the normal range of tissue velocities in pae diatric hearts as measured by tissue Doppler imaging. A prospective study w as carried out involving 160 healthy children (mean age 10.8 y, range 4.0-1 7.9 y). Using tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) from parasternal long axis and a pical views, peak velocities and peak myocardial velocity differences acros s the right ventricular anterior wall, interventricular septum and left ven tricular posterior wall were assessed during systole, early and late diasto le. The existence of transmyocardial velocity differences between the left and right side of the interventricular septum, as well as between the endoc ardium and epicardium of the left ventricular posterior wall was observed t hroughout the heart cycle. With range-gated TDI from apical four-chamber vi ew, peak velocities were measured within the basal, mid and apical parts of the interventricular septum, and the left and right free ventricular walls . The highest peak systolic, early and late diastolic velocities were measu red within the basal parts of all myocardial walls. The ranges of the calcu lated velocity ratios (early-to-late diastolic velocity and early diastolic -to-systolic velocity) for the various wall parts appeared to be overlappin g. The correlations of peak myocardial tissue velocities and their ratios w ith age and weight were weak and practically irrelevant. These normal value s of peak myocardial velocities, transmyocardial velocity differences and t he ratios of peak wall velocities can be used as reference values in future investigations of ventricular dysfunction in this age group. (C) 2000 Worl d Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology.