title: Prognostic value of color Doppler echocardiographic findings in premature newborns with patent ductus arteriosus.
abstract: This study intended to evaluate the relationship between the prognosis for premature newborns (PM) with patient ductus arteriosus (PDA) and their Doppler echocardiographic findings. From January 1989 to December 1995, of 369 premature newborns in their first postnatal week, 196 underwent ductal evaluations echocardiographically: 47 of these 196 cases were found to have PDA. Each echocardiogram had complete data for cardiac output, ejection fraction, the left atrial-to-the-aortic ratio (LA/AO), the systolic time interval of the right ventricle (RVSTI), the transvalvular pressure gradient from tricuspid regurgitation (TGTR) and ductal Doppler color flow maps. These 47 premature newborns with PDA were grouped into (A) "asymptomatic" patients whose ductus closed spontaneously within a one-year follow-up (15 subjects), (B) "symptomatic" patients whose ductus were closed by pharmacological or surgical managements (20 subjects), and (C) "complicated" patients whose ductus caused mortality of the host (12 subjects). The remaining 149 premature newborns with a closed ductus (CD) served as controls. The RVSTI in these 47 premature newborns with PDA was found to be significantly higher than those of 149 CD (0.26 +/- 0.12 vs. 0.18 +/- 0.06, p < 0.005), and denoting that PM-PDA had a higher mean pulmonary arterial pressure. The TGTR of these 47 premature newborns with PDA was also higher than these of the 149 CD controls (30.50 +/- 11.85 mmHg vs. 20.54 +/- 6.88 mmHg, p < 0.005), denoting that PM-PDA had a higher pulmonary arterial systolic pressures. Gestational age of group C neonates was younger than group A (29.46 +/- 3.41 weeks vs. 32.80 +/- 2.78 weeks, P < 0.01). The birth weight of Group C neonates was lower than that of Group A (1366.17 +/- 684.28 gm vs. 2061.67 +/- 751.77 gm. p < 0.01), therefore, extreme prematurity and small-for-gestational-age could have increased the mortality of PM-PDA. Doppler color flow maps of group C showed a wider ductal patency, less ductal waist-narrowing, more vehement red-color forward flow and less midstream mosaicism. It was concluded that patient with extreme prematurity, with very-low-birth-weight or wider patent ductus, higher pulmonary hypertension, less midstream mosaicism, or less ductal waist-narrowing would have a poorer prognosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Cathay General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C.
authors.forename: C T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: K E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Kua
authors.forename: N K
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D004374:Ductus Arteriosus, Patent / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000379:methods; D005865:Gestational Age; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007235:Infant, Premature, Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D007236:Infant, Small for Gestational Age; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color