title: [Results of quantitative Doppler echocardiography in the diagnosis of cardiac malformations in children].
abstract: To assess the reliability and precision of quantitative data obtained by pulsed and continuous echocardiography in congenital cardiac malformations, we have examined 113 children aged 1 week to 17 years 5 months. 91 patients presented with right ventricular outflow tract obstructions (13 valvular pulmonary stenoses, 78 complex cardiac lesions); in 9 a left ventricular outflow gradient and in 13 an aortic coarctation was present. The measurement obtained by the Doppler method were compared to those obtained within 24 hours during cardiac catheterization. Furthermore, in 25 patients without shunt (essentially rheumatic valvulopathies) measurement of cardiac output by pulsed Doppler has been compared to measurements obtained by dye dilution curves with Cardiogreen.--The correlations between Doppler values and measurements taken during cardiac catheterization were excellent for straight pulmonary stenoses (r2 = 0.94) and even for right ventricular outflow gradient in complex anomalies (r2 = 0.93); it was slightly less good for the aortic stenoses (r2 = 0.80) and disappointing for the gradient across the coarctation (r2 = 0.50). Calculation of cardiac output in the pulmonary artery or the aorta by pulsed Doppler shows a good correlation with the results obtained by dye dilution curves with Cardiogreen (r2 = 0.75). It is concluded that the precision of Doppler measurements is excellent in pulmonary stenoses and satisfactory in the aortic stenoses. Hence in many cases an invasive procedure by catheterization can and should be avoided.
authors.affiliation: Unité de cardiologie pédiatrique, Hôpital cantonal universitaire, Genève.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Oberhänsli
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Friedli
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004395:Dye Dilution Technique; D004452:Echocardiography; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant
vernacular_title: Apport de l'échocardiographie Doppler quantitative dans le diagnostic des malformations cardiaques chez l'enfant.