title: Assessment of global left ventricular function in normal children and in children with dilated cardiomyopathy.
abstract: A Doppler index combining systolic and diastolic time intervals (Tei index) has been reported to be useful for assessing global left ventricular (LV) function and predicting clinical outcome in adult patients with LV dysfunction. However, normal values in children and age-related changes in the index have not yet been clarified. The aim of this study was to prospectively determine normal values of the Tei index and the effect of aging on the index in children and to assess the global cardiac function in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy with this index. The subjects included 161 consecutive normal children aged 30 days to 18 years and 5 patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. The Tei index was defined as the sum of the isovolumetric contraction time and the isovolumetric relaxation time divided by the ejection time and was measured from conventional LV outflow and inflow Doppler velocity profiles. The Tei index correlated significantly with the logarithm of age (r = 0.51, P <. 001). The index decreased with aging until 3 years and then did not change after age 3 years. The Tei index in children under age 3 years (0.40 +/- 0.09, n = 80) was significantly higher than that in children ranging in age from 3 to 18 years old (0.33 +/- 0.02, n = 81). The index in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (0.78 +/- 0. 28) was markedly increased compared with that in normal subjects. Age-related changes in the Tei index may reflect maturational or developmental alterations in the LV properties in infants. The data in this study give basic information for further quantitative assessment of global cardiac function in children with congenital or acquired heart disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics and the Cardiovascular Research Institute, Kurume University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Eto
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ishii
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tei
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsutsumi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Akagi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kato
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D002311:Cardiomyopathy, Dilated / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D018619:Echocardiography, Doppler, Pulsed / Q000592:standards; D006339:Heart Rate; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D009200:Myocardial Contraction; D015588:Observer Variation; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013318:Stroke Volume; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left