Three-dimensional echocardiographic measurement of left ventricular strokevolume in children: Comparison with Doppler method

Three-dimensional echocardiography (3DE) allows calculation of ventricular volumes without geometric assumption on the ventricular shape. Our aim was to apply 3DE in a normal pediatric population and to compare the left ventr icular stroke volume measurements to the Doppler method. Twenty-four normal patients (median age 7 years) underwent Doppler echocardiography and 3DE f or left ventricular stroke volume calculation. The left ventricular stroke volume by Doppler method was calculated as the product of the aortic Dopple r flow mean velocity and the area of the aortic annulus. The 3DE method was performed using a transthoracic rotational probe (TomTec) and left ventric ular volumes were calculated using the Simpson's rule. The mean time for 3D E acquisition was 90 seconds without any sedation. 3DE correlated well with the Doppler method for left ventricular stroke volume measurements (gamma = 0.8x - 0.2, r = 0.94). The mean difference between the average values of left ventricular stroke volume obtained by Doppler method and 3DE was 5 +/- 4 ml. Intraobserver and interobserver variabilities in the left ventricula r stroke volume measurement by 3DE were 2.6% and 4.4%. In conclusion, 3DE c ompared to the Doppler method is an accurate, noninvasive, and reproducible method to measure the left ventricular stroke volume in normal children.