Preoperative Threshold for Normalizing Right Ventricular Volume After Transcatheter Closure of Adult Atrial Septal Defect

SummaryTo assess whether paradoxical (systolic anterior) motion of the interventricular septum is a true abnormality of septal contraction caused by right ventricular volume overload, we examined the regional pattern of left ventricular contraction in 20 patients with an atrial septal defect within the oval fossa using a fixed and floating reference system of analysis of wall motion. The patients, with a median age of 6.8 (3.5–13.4) years, had a Qp/Qs ratio of 3.5:1 (1.2:1–8:1). They were studied by cross-sectional echocardiography four days (3–5) before and 14.5 (3–67) days after surgical closure of the atrial septal defect. The postoperative Qp/Qs ratio was 1.1:1 (0.9:1–2:1). Regional wall motion of the left ventricle was analyzed in the parasternal short axis view at the level of the mitral valve and papillary muscles as well as in the apical four-chamber view. The endocardium was digitized manually in end-systolic and end-diastolic frames. The center of mass of this figure was calculated and connected to an outside reference point in the right ventricle. With the floating system, both centers of mass and the reference lines were superimposed, thus correcting for movement of the heart inside the thorax. With the fixed system,both end-diastolic and end-systolic frames were measured separately without correcting for movement of the heart. The left ventricle was divided in eight segments in a clockwise fashion and regional change in area was measured and compared to 40 normal age matched controls. With the floating system, left ventricular regional wall motion was normal in all patients before and after closure of the atrial septal defect and, thus, was not influenced by the change in right ventricular volume load. With the fixed system, both before and after surgical closure of the atrial septal defect, left ventricular regional wall motion was reduced in the two segments representing the basilar and middle portion of the interventricular septum. The floating system of analysis of left ventricular regional wall motion has the ability to correct for movement of the heart, which makes the supposed “abnormal” systolic anterior motion in right ventricular volume overload, a condition prevalent in patients with atrial septal defect, disappear. Thus, we conclude that the so-called paradoxical septal motion in atrial defect is an artifact. This may be caused by an increased motion of the heart but is unrelated to the volume load of the right ventricle.

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Comparison of right ventricular volumes by transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography in patients with right ventricular volume overload

Cardiology in the Young ◽

10.1017/s1047951100004431 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 7 (4) ◽

pp. 417-422 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Andreas Gamillscheg ◽

Zhen Jin ◽

Jonathan Skinner ◽

Ingram Schulze-Neick ◽

Jan-Hendrik Nürnberg ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Right Ventricular ◽

Atrial Septal Defect ◽

Transesophageal Echocardiography ◽

Body Surface ◽

Transthoracic Echocardiography ◽

Septal Defect ◽

Ventricular Volume ◽

Right Ventricular Volume ◽

Ventricular Volumes ◽

Chamber View

AbstractAssessment of right ventricular volume and function is important in most congenital heart diseases before and after corrective or palliative surgery. Since transthoracic echocardiography is often substituted by transesophageal echocardiography in the perioperative setting, it is useful to compare transesophageal echocardiography with transthoracic echocardiography as performed preoperatively. We compared right ventricular volumes as calculated using these two methods from a four-chamber view in 21 children and adults with atrial septal defect. For right ventricular end-diastolic volumes of less than 70 ml, and end-systolic volumes of less than 40 ml, a close correlation was found between the techniques (r=0.99 and r=0.91, respectively), with a small degree of underestimation by transesophageal echocardiography. For values larger than 70 nil and 40 ml, respectively, correlation decreased (r=0.41 for end-diastolic volumes and r=0.48 for end-systolic volumes) and underestimation of volume by transesophageal echocardiography increased. Underestimation of right ventricular end-diastolic volumes increased with increasing body surface area (r=0.74), and with progressive right ventricular enlargement (r=0.63). In patients with a body surface area of more than 1m2, the largest end-diastolic right ventricular length determined by transthoracic echocardiography was significantly longer than that derived by transesophageal echocardiography (p<0.001), whereas in smaller patients there was no significant difference between the two methods (p>0.1). If right ventricular volumes determined by transthoracic echocardiography using a four-chamber view are substituted by those obtained with transesophageal echocardiography in serial haemodynamic evaluation of patients with atrial septal defect, different correlation equations and, consequently, a different degree of underestimation by transesophageal echocardiography must be considered for large and small volumes. This increasing underestimation of larger right ventricular volumes seems to be based on foreshortening of the long cross-sectional axis of the right ventricle as seen in the transesophageal four-chamber view.

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