title: Right Ventricular Systolic-to-Diastolic Time Index: Hypoplastic Left Heart Fetuses Differ Significantly from Normal Fetuses.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A growing body of evidence indicates that right ventricular dysfunction in patients with palliated hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) originates in fetal life. In this study, the systolic-to-diastolic time index (SDI) was used to study the presence of ventricular dysfunction in single right ventricles in fetuses with HLHS or evolving HLHS and to assess whether this dysfunction is related to increase preload, myocardial performance, or interventricular interaction.
  
  
  METHODS
  Echocardiograms from 78 fetuses with HLHS and 10 with evolving HLHS were retrospectively compared with those of 78 normal control fetuses. Fetuses with HLHS were further grouped according to morphology of the left ventricle (LV): not visible (n = 35) or visible (n = 43). Spectral Doppler signals obtained from right ventricular inflow (blood pool) and tissue Doppler from the tricuspid lateral annulus were analyzed. The SDI was calculated as the ratio of the ejection time plus isovolumic contraction and relaxation times to the diastolic filling time. E/A and E/e' ratios, cardiac output, preload index, and Tei index were also calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fetuses with HLHS demonstrated significantly elevated right ventricular SDI values by both blood pool Doppler and Doppler tissue imaging compared with control subjects (1.89 ± 0.33 vs 1.58 ± 0.29 [P < .001] and 2.1 ± 0.57 vs 1.66 ± 0.31 [P < .001], respectively). Changes in filling time rather than ejection time predominated. Fetuses with HLHS with visible LVs and those with evolving HLHS had significantly higher SDI values than fetuses with HLHS without visible LVs (no visible LV, 1.75 ± 0.22; visible LV, 2 ± 0.36; P = .001; evolving HLHS, 2.19 ± 0.68; P < .001). SDI was correlated with the Tei index (R = 0.58) and was more sensitive than the Tei index in identifying differences between the HLHS subgroups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Fetuses with evolving and overt HLHS exhibit abnormally increased SDI values in utero. This difference is likely related to inherently pathologic interventricular interactions and/or diastolic dysfunction of the right ventricle in fetuses with HLHS.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco, Benioff Children's Hospital, San Francisco, California.
authors.forename: Hythem M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Nawaytou
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco, Benioff Children's Hospital, San Francisco, California.
authors.forename: Shabnam
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Peyvandi
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco, Benioff Children's Hospital, San Francisco, California.
authors.forename: Michael M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Brook
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco, Benioff Children's Hospital, San Francisco, California.
authors.forename: Norman
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Silverman
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco, Benioff Children's Hospital, San Francisco, California. Electronic address: anita.moongrady@ucsf.edu.
authors.forename: Anita J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Moon-Grady
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003971:Diastole; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D018636:Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013318:Stroke Volume; D013599:Systole; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal / Q000379:methods*; D018497:Ventricular Dysfunction, Right / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology*
keywords: Fetal echocardiography; HLHS; Systolic-to-diastolic time interval