Three-dimensional echocardiography improves the understanding of the mechanisms and site of left atrioventricular valve regurgitation in atrioventricular septal defect.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to determine whether 3-dimensional echocardiography (3DE) provides additional information regarding the mechanisms and sites of left atrioventricular valve regurgitation in atrioventricular septal defect compared with transesophageal 2-dimensional echocardiography (2DE).


METHODS
Eleven patients with a median age of 5.4 years (2.9-11.6 years) and a median weight of 16.8 kg (13.7-38.3 kg) with an atrioventricular septal defect underwent simultaneous transesophageal 2DE and 3DE before operation.


RESULTS
The 2DE-3DE agreement for the assessment of the superior and mural leaflet size was 72.7%. The 2DE-3DE agreement for coaptation failure, a residual or primary cleft, and commissural abnormalities as a mechanism of regurgitation were 72.7%, 63.6%, and 36.4%, respectively. For jet sites the 2DE-3DE agreement was 63.6% for a commissural and central location.


CONCLUSIONS
Three-dimensional echocardiography provides new and superior data regarding the mechanisms and sites of left atrioventricular valve regurgitation in atrioventricular septal defect.
Takahashi
Ken
K
Division of Cardiology and the Department of Pediatrics, The Hospital for Sick Children, The University of Toronto, Faculty of Medicine, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Guerra
Vitor
V
Roman
Kevin S
KS
Nii
Masaki
M
Redington
Andrew
A
Smallhorn
Jeffery F
JF
D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019560:Echocardiography, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006344:Heart Septal Defects, Atrial / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008944:Mitral Valve Insufficiency / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology*; D011379:Prognosis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity