Summary
A total of 120 healthy infants, children, and teenagers were examined by cross-sectional echocardiography. Right and left atrial and ventricular dimensions and areas were measured in the parasternal, apical, and subcostal views. Dimensions of the inferior caval vein, the pulmonary artery and the aorta were obtained in the parasternal, suprasternal, and subcostal views. Reproducibility was studied in separate material consisting of 19 children with various forms of congenital heart disease examined consecutively by two different observers. Interobserver reproducibility was expressed as the 95% tolerance limit for the difference between two measurements.
Good correlation with body surface area was demonstrated for all measurements, and the regression equations for the normal values of the parameters studied are given. Interobserver reproducibility was fairly good for measurements in the parasternal views, but moderate or low for measurements in the apical and the subcostal four-chamber views.
Measurements in cross-sectional echocardiography are clinically useful, especially in the study of the right-sided cardiac structures that are difficult to evaluate with M-mode echocardiography, but the problems of reproducibility have to be taken into account.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Björkhem G (1977) Echocardiographic assessment of left ventricular function: investigation of infants, children and teenagers without heart disease.Eur J Cardiol 6:83–98
Bommer W, Weinert L, Neumann A, Neff J, Mason D, DeMaria A (1979) Determination of right atrial and ventricular size by two-dimensional echocardiography.Circulation 60:91–100
Feigenbaum H (1981)Echocardiography, 3rd edn. Lea and Febiger, Philadelphia, pp 110–111
Fontana G, Kirkman J, DiSessa T, Hagan A, Hiriashi S, Isabel-Jones J, Friedman W (1982) Evaluation of right ventricular and right atrial size in children with atrial septal defect using two-dimensional, apex echocardiography.J Clin Ultrasound 10:385–390
Gussenhoven W, van Leenen BF, Kuis W, de Villeneuve VH, Bom N, van meurs-van Woezik H (1983) Comparison of internal diameter of great arteries in congenital heart disease.Br Heart J 49:45–50
Hiriashi S, DiSessa T, Jarmakani J, Nakanishi T, Isabel-Jones J, Friedman W (1982) Two-dimensional echocardiographic assessment of right ventricular volume in children with congenital heart disease.Am J Cardiol 50:1368–1375
Loperfido F, Pennestri F, Digaetano A, Scabbia E, Santarelli P, Mongiardo R, Schiavoni G, Coppola E, Manzoli U (1983) Assessment of left atrial dimensions by cross-sectional echocardiography in patients with mitral valve disease.Br Heart J 50:570–578
Lundström NR (1974) Clinical applications of echocardiography in infants and children. I. Investigation of infants and children without heart disease.Acta Paediatr Scand 63:23–32
Lundström NR (1985) Two-dimensional echocardiography in the diagnosis of Ebstein's anomaly of the tricuspid valve. In: Giuliani ER (ed)Two-dimensional real-time ultrasonic imaging of the heart 1985. Martinus Nijhoff, Dordrecht, The Netherlands, pp 351–358
Mercier J, DiSessa G, Jarmakani J, Nakanishi T, Hiriashi S, Isabel-Jones J, Friedman W (1982) Two-dimensional echocardiographic assessment of left ventricular volumes and ejection fraction in children.Circulation 65:962–969
Schabelman S, Schiller N, Silverman N, Ports T (1981) Left atrial volume estimation by two-dimensional echocardiography.Cathet Cardiovasc Diagn 7:165–178
Schiller N, Acquatella H, Ports T, Drew D, Goerke J, Ringertz H, Silverman N, Brundage B, Botvinick E, Boswell R, Carlsson E, Parmley W (1979) Left ventricular volume from paired biplane two-dimensional echocardiography.Circulation 60:547–555
Silverman N, Hudson S (1983) Evaluation of right ventricular volume and ejection fraction in children by two-dimensional echocardiography.Pediatr Cardiol 4:197–204
Silverman N, Ports T, Snider R, Schiller N, Carlsson E, Heilbron D (1980) Determination of left ventricular volume in children: echocardiographic and angiographic comparison.Circulation 62:548–557
Starling M, Crawford M, Soerensen S, Levi B, Richards K, O'Rourke A (1981) Comparative accuracy of apical biplane cross-sectional echocardiography and gated equilibrium radionuclide angiography for estimating left ventricular performance.Circulation 63:1075–1084
Tajik A, Seward J, Hagler D, Mair D, Lie J (1978) Two-dimensional real-time ultrasonic imaging of the heart and great vessels: technique, image orientation, structure identification and validation.Mayo Clin Proc 53:271–303
Watanabe T, Katsume H, Matsukubo H, Furukawa K, Ijichi H (1982) Estimation of right ventricular volume with two-dimensional echocardiography.Am J Cardiol 49:1946–1953
Wessel A (1985) Normal values of two-dimensional echocardiographic evaluation of left and right ventricular geometry in children.Hertz 10:248–254
Wyatt H, Heng M, Meerbaum S, Hestenes J, Cobo J, Davidson R, Corday E (1970) Cross-sectional echocardiography. I. Analysis of mathematical models for quantifying mass of the left ventricle in dogs.Circulation 60:1104–1113
Wyatt H, Heng M, Meerbaum S, Gueret P, Hestenes J, Dula E, Corday E (1980) Cross-sectional echocardiography. II. Analysis of mathematical models for quantifying volume of the formalin-fixed ventricle.Circulation 61:1119–1125
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hanséus, K., Björkhem, G. & Lundström, NR. Dimensions of cardiac chambers and great vessels by cross-sectional echocardiography in infants and children. Pediatr Cardiol 9, 7–15 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02279877
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02279877