title: Gestational age- and growth-related alterations in fetal right and left ventricular diastolic filling patterns.
abstract: To evaluate the effects of gestational age on left and right ventricular diastolic filling in human fetuses, we retrospectively reviewed the diastolic flow velocity patterns through mitral and tricuspid valves in 307 normal fetuses aged 17 to 39 weeks' gestation. The subjects were divided into 3 age groups; 17 to 24 weeks, 25 to 31 weeks, and 32 to 39 weeks. The variables measured were peak flow velocities of early diastole (peak E wave), of atrial contraction (peak A wave), and the velocity ratio (peak E/A ratio). As a whole, the transmitral peak E wave and peak E/A ratio correlated with age using a second-order polynomial curve fit. The strength of the linear correlation between age and transmitral peak E wave and peak E/A ratio and the slope of the relation were greater in the group aged 32 to 39 weeks than in group aged 25 to 31 weeks. Similar temporal change was observed in the relation between age, transtricuspid peak E wave, and peak E/A ratio. The peak A wave for both atrioventricular valves showed little change with gestational age. Contrary to the accepted concept that fetal peak E wave and peak E/A ratio increases linearly with aging, this study shows that early diastolic filling increases mainly after 25 weeks' gestation. We speculate that the maturational changes in ventricular properties in human fetuses accelerate after midgestation.
authors.affiliation: Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland 97201-3098, USA.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Harada
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Rice
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shiota
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ishii
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: McDonald
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Reller
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Sahn
mesh_terms: D016275:Atrial Function / Q000502:physiology; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D002302:Cardiac Output / Q000502:physiology; D002306:Cardiac Volume / Q000502:physiology*; D003971:Diastole; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D005314:Embryonic and Fetal Development; D005260:Female; D005318:Fetal Heart / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology*; D005865:Gestational Age; D006340:Heart Rate, Fetal / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D016018:Least-Squares Analysis; D016014:Linear Models; D008943:Mitral Valve / Q000196:embryology; D009200:Myocardial Contraction; D015588:Observer Variation; D011247:Pregnancy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014261:Tricuspid Valve / Q000196:embryology; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left / Q000502:physiology*; D016278:Ventricular Function, Right / Q000502:physiology*