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Review
. 2020 Aug;20(8):278-286.
doi: 10.1016/j.bjae.2020.03.010. Epub 2020 Jul 2.

How to interpret a paediatric echocardiography report

Affiliations
Review

How to interpret a paediatric echocardiography report

N Forshaw et al. BJA Educ. 2020 Aug.
No abstract available

Keywords: anaesthesia; echocardiography; paediatrics.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1
Subcostal view assessing abdominal situs. Situs solitus is seen with the aorta and stomach to the left of the spine and the inferior vena cava running through the liver on the right.
Fig 2
Fig 2
Apical four-chamber view demonstrating a large fossa ovalis atrial septal defect (ASD) (∗). The colour flow Doppler shows flow through the defect in red (indicating flow towards the transducer), confirming left to right flow through the defect. There is evidence of right heart enlargement with moderate dilatation of the right atrium and right ventricle.
Fig 3
Fig 3
Subcostal view in child with Tetralogy of Fallot. Note the large ventricular septal defect (VSD) (∗) with the aorta (Ao) positioned directly above the VSD between the right (RV) and left (LV) ventricle, with approximately 50% override.
Fig 4
Fig 4
Doppler measurement of a tricuspid regurgitation (TR) jet, to estimate pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) and quantify severity of pulmonary hypertension. The PAP can be estimated from the sum of the estimated or measured right atrial pressure (RAP) and the pressure gradient between the right atrium (RA) and right ventricle (RV). In this image, the peak TR velocity is 3.8 m s−1. Using Bernoulli's equation, the pressure gradient between the RA and RV=4×(3.8)2=57.75 mmHg. Assuming an RAP of ∼5 mmHg (if not being directly measured), the right ventricular pressure is ∼64 mmHg. In the absence of any right ventricular outflow tract obstruction, the PAP will also be ∼ 64 mmHg.

References

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