Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Archives of Disease in Childhood logoLink to Archives of Disease in Childhood
. 1986 May;61(5):484–488. doi: 10.1136/adc.61.5.484

Contrast echocardiographic assessment of the neonatal ductus arteriosus.

D B Knight, V Y Yu
PMCID: PMC1777776  PMID: 3717995

Abstract

Contrast echocardiography is a safe and accurate method of diagnosing patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in newborn infants. In this study the presence of PDA in very low birthweight infants receiving mechanical ventilation was investigated by contrast echocardiography. This was used as a basis for determining the accuracy of clinical signs and M mode echocardiography in the diagnosis of PDA. At the first contrast echocardiographic examination at a mean age of 49 hours PDA was found in 75% of infants. Clinical signs were inconsistent; 42% of the infants with PDA at the first examination had a murmur, no relation being found between PDA and heart rate or cardiothoracic ratio. Left atrial and left ventricular dimensions were significantly raised and left systolic time intervals significantly lower in the group with PDA. There was, however, considerable overlap, with the sensitivity of each measurement varying between 52% and 71%. Left systolic time interval combined with left ventricular:aortic root ratio gives the best differentiation between infants with or without PDA.

Full text

PDF
484

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Allen H. D., Sahn D. J., Goldberg S. J. New serial contrast technique for assessment of left to right shunting patent ductus arteriosus in the neonate. Am J Cardiol. 1978 Feb;41(2):288–294. doi: 10.1016/0002-9149(78)90167-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Björkhem G. E., Lundström N. R., Svenningsen N. W. Influence of continuous positive airways pressure treatment on ductus arteriosus shung assessed by echocardiography. Arch Dis Child. 1977 Aug;52(8):659–661. doi: 10.1136/adc.52.8.659. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Elzenga N. J., Spritzer R. Countercurrent arterial contrast echocardiography in the assessment of left to right ductal shunting in preterm infants. Arch Dis Child. 1984 Jun;59(6):533–536. doi: 10.1136/adc.59.6.533. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Gersony W. M., Peckham G. J., Ellison R. C., Miettinen O. S., Nadas A. S. Effects of indomethacin in premature infants with patent ductus arteriosus: results of a national collaborative study. J Pediatr. 1983 Jun;102(6):895–906. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3476(83)80022-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Heitz F., Fouron J. C., van Doesburg N. H., Bard H., Teasdale F., Chessex P., Davignon A. Value of systolic time intervals in the diagnosis of large patent ductus arteriosus in fluid-restricted and mechanically ventilated preterm infants. Pediatrics. 1984 Dec;74(6):1069–1074. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Hirschfeld S., Meyer R., Schwartz D. C., Korfhagen J., Kaplan S. Measurement of right and left ventricular systolic time intervals by echocardiography. Circulation. 1975 Feb;51(2):304–309. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.51.2.304. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Hirschklau M. J., DiSessa T. G., Higgins C. B., Friedman W. F. Echocardiographic diagnosis: pitfalls in the premature infant with a large patent ductus arteriosus. J Pediatr. 1978 Mar;92(3):474–477. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3476(78)80452-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Jacob J., Gluck L., DiSessa T., Edwards D., Kulovich M., Kurlinski J., Merritt T. A., Friedman W. F. The contribution of PDA in the neonate with severe RDS. J Pediatr. 1980 Jan;96(1):79–87. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3476(80)80336-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Johnson G. L., Breart G. L., Gewitz M. H., Brenner J. I., Lang P., Dooley K. J., Ellison R. C. Echocardiographic characteristics of premature infants with patient ductus arteriosus. Pediatrics. 1983 Dec;72(6):864–871. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Merritt T. A., Harris J. P., Roghmann K., Wood B., Campanella V., Alexson C., Manning J., Shapiro D. L. Early closure of the patent ductus arteriosus in very low-birth-weight infants: a controlled trial. J Pediatr. 1981 Aug;99(2):281–286. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3476(81)80479-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Obeyesekere H. I., Pankhurst S., Yu V. Y. Pharmacological closure of ductus arteriosus in preterm infants using indomethacin. Arch Dis Child. 1980 Apr;55(4):271–276. doi: 10.1136/adc.55.4.271. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Pieroni D. R., Varghese P. J., Freedom R. M., Rowe R. D. The sensitivity of contrast echocardiography in detecting intracardiac shunts. Cathet Cardiovasc Diagn. 1979;5(1):19–29. doi: 10.1002/ccd.1810050104. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Sahn D. J., Allen H. D., George W., Mason M., Goldberg S. J. The utility of contrast echocardiographic techniques in the care of critically ill infants with cardiac and pulmonary disease. Circulation. 1977 Dec;56(6):959–968. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.56.6.959. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Silverman N. H., Lewis A. B., Heymann M. A., Rudolph A. M. Echocardiographic assessment of ductus arteriosus shunt in premature infants. Circulation. 1974 Oct;50(4):821–825. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.50.4.821. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Thibeault D. W., Emmanouilides G. C., Nelson R. J., Lachman R. S., Rosengart R. M., Oh W. Patent ductus arteriosus complicating the respiratory distress syndrome in preterm infants. J Pediatr. 1975 Jan;86(1):120–126. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3476(75)80722-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Valdes-Cruz L. M., Dudell G. G. Specificity and accuracy of echocardiographic and clinical criteria for diagnosis of patent ductus arteriosus in fluid-restricted infants. J Pediatr. 1981 Feb;98(2):298–305. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3476(81)80665-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Vick G. W., 3rd, Satterwhite C., Cassady G., Philips J., Yester M. V., Logic J. R. Radionuclide angiography in the evaluation of ductal shunts in preterm infants. J Pediatr. 1982 Aug;101(2):264–268. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3476(82)80137-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Zednikova M., Baylen B. G., Yoshida Y., Emmanouilides G. C. Precordial contrast echocardiographic detection of patent ductus arteriosus in small preterm infants. Pediatr Cardiol. 1982;2(4):271–275. doi: 10.1007/BF02426972. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Archives of Disease in Childhood are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES