Left ventricular wall motion velocities in healthy children measured by pulsed wave Doppler tissue echocardiography: Normal values and relation to age and heart rate

Left ventricular wall motion velocities were measured by,pulsed wave Dopple r tissue (PWDT) echocardiography in 131 healthy children (mean age 7.5 +/- 5.5 years) at the interventricular septum and the posterior wall in the lef t ventricular short-axis view, and at the interventricular septum and the l ateral wall in the 4-chamber view. The systolic wave (Sw) consisted of 2 co mponents, and the difference between the 2 components was greater in the la teral wall than in the other walls. The peak early diastolic wave (Ew) velo city was also highest in the lateral wall. Most variables during systole co rrelated with age. The ratio of peak atrial systolic wave (Aw) velocity to peak Ew velocity (Aw/Ew) correlated with heart rate. The Aw/Ew in each wall correlated with the ratio of late (A) to early (E) peak mitral now, althou gh regression slopes differed among different wall segments. Zn younger chi ldren with increased heart rates, the Aw/Ew ratio increased because the Ew velocity decreased, although the IVE ratio increased because of an increase d A velocity. Normal values for the PWDT variables change with heart rate a nd age in the pediatric population. The data reported in this study can be used as normal values for left ventricular function for PWDT echocardiograp hy.