| pubmed-article:2605579 | pubmed:abstractText | The purpose of this study was to assess the accuracy of a quantitative two-dimensional Doppler echocardiographic method for estimating systemic and pulmonary blood flows in atrial and ventricular septal defects. Twenty-eight patients (mean age 22 +/- 14), with atrial septal defect (ADS) or ventricular septal defect (VSD) underwent Doppler-echocardiography and cardiac catheterization in order to assess pulmonary blood flow (QP), systemic blood flow (QS), the left to right shunt (SH) and the ratio of pulmonary to systemic flow (QP/QS ratio). Cardiac output was also determined by the oximetry method according to Fick principle. Pulmonary output assessed by Doppler was 7.9 +/- 0.61/min, by catheterization 9.0 +/- 3.9. Linear regression analysis showed a low correlation coefficient (r = 0.10; p = NS). Systemic output evaluated by Doppler resulted 4.6 +/- 1.4 l/m, while at catheterization 5.1 +/- 1.5 l/min (r = 0.25; p = NS). Doppler evaluation of left-to right shunt was 3.3 +/- 1.5 l/min, at catheterization 3.9 +/- 3.1 (r = 0.74; p less than 0.001). Doppler QP/QS ratio resulted 1.7 +/- 0.5, at catheterization 1.8 +/- 0.5 (r = 0.96; p less than 0.0010. The results showed that, in spite of the lack of correlation between the pulmonary and systemic outputs assessed by Doppler vs catheterization, QP/QS ratio, as well as SH, are useful noninvasive indexes in order to evaluate intracardiac shunts. | lld:pubmed |
