Assessment of Regional Wall Motion of the Left Ventricle in Children with Congenital Heart Disease

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To assess wall motion of the left ventricle in the various forms of congenital heart disease and to select appropriate methods by which to gauge left ventricular wall motion. METHODS: We evaluated left ventricular function, including volume, global ejection fraction, and regional wall motion(Centerline method, Local Ejection Fraction, Curved Perimeter method and Radial method). The evaluation was done on review mode of 30-degree elongated right anterior oblique projection of left ventriculogram by using cardiac analysis program of the DXC Hiline Digital System(GER, USA) in 53 pediatric patients undergoing diagnostic(or therapeutic) cardiac catheterization from June 1995 to July 1996 at Kyung-pook National University Hospital. RESULTS: Cardiac indices calculated by Dodge's and Simpson's methods were 5.76+/-2.13 L/min/ m2, 5.86+/-2.31 L/min/m2 respectively with significant correlation to each other(r=0.99, P<0.01). Global ejection fractions using both methods were 69.81+/-8.33%, and 69.69+/-8.20%, respectively (r=0.99, P<0.01). After dividing the left ventricular outline contour into five regions such as posterobasal, diaphragmatic, apical, anterolateral and anterobasal portions, all four models could ascertain regional wall motion abnormalities well(P<0.01). And among them, the Centerline method and the Curved Perimeter method correlated well in assessing wall motion(for each portion r=0.67, 0.84, 0.94, 0.91 and 0.61 respectively, P<0.01). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, we confirmed regional wall motion abnormalities in the various forms of congenital heart disease in spite of normal global ejection fractions, showing that the Centerline and Curved Perimeter methods are preferable methods in the assessment of wall motion in patiens with congenital heart disease.