Clinical Value of Echocardiography on Aortic Valvuloplasty in Low-age Pediatric Patients With Congenital Aortic Valve Stenosis / 中国循环杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective: To evaluate the clinical value of echocardiography in aortic valvuloplasty (AVP) in the low-age pediatric patients with congenital aortic valve stenosis. Methods: We retrospectively studied 39 low-age (at median of 23 months) patients with congenital aortic valve stenosis who received aortic valve repair in our hospital for their echocardiography information, and statistically analyzed the main indicator changes by 4 time points as pre-operation and 1 week, 1-3 months, 6-12 months after the operation respectively. Results: In our study, the bicuspid to tricuspid valve ratio was approximately at 5.5/1 and 2 patients died during peri-operative period. Compared with pre-operative time point, Doppler aortic valve peak velocity (Vmax ) and the mean aortic transvalvular pressure gradient (MPG) were reduced accordingly, for Vmax (4.30 ± 0.73) m/s vs (2.65 ± 0.78) m/s, (2.93 ± 0.63) m/s, (3.01 ± 0.83) m/s,P<0.01, for MPG (45.78 ± 15.19) mmHg vs (18.24 ± 10.08) mmHg, (21.01 ± 10.08) mmHg, (22.31 ± 13.41) mmHg. Compared with pre-operative time point, left ventricular ejection fractions (LVEF) were similar in 3 post-operative time points. Compared with 1 week post operative time point, left ventricular end-diastolic anteroposterior diameter (LVEDD) was increased at 6-12 months post-operative time point, the relative wall thickness (RWT) was decreased, bothP<0.05, and aorta valve regurgitation (AR) was increasedP<0.01. Pearson correlation analysis showed that aortic annulus (AA) inner diameter was positively related to LVEDD (r= 0.648,P<0.01), negatively related to Vmax (r= -0.205,P<0.05) and RWT was positively related to Vmax (r= 0.196,P<0.05). There were 6 patients with pre-operatively decreased LVEF, 1 of them died and the rest 5 with elevated LVEF at 6-12 months post-operative period,P<0.05. Conclusion: Echocardiograghy could be used as the ifrst choice of imaging method for diagnosing congenital aortic valve stenosis, it has the important role for in-operative monitoring and post-operative evaluation of AVP in relevant patients.