Korean Circ J.  1984 Dec;14(2):289-293. 10.4070/kcj.1984.14.2.289.

Echocardiographic Examination of the Right Pulmonary Artery in the Patients with Left to Right Shunt

• Park OK

• KMID: 2093192
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4070/kcj.1984.14.2.289

Abstract

The right pulmonary artery(RPA0 of the patients with intracardiac left to right shunt was examined by suprasternal M-mode echocardiography, the subjects were 6 atrial septal defects, 8 ventricular septal defects and 6 patient ductus arteriosus. The enddiastolic and the widest systolic dimension of the RPA were measured from the echogram, and the systolic widening rate was calculated. The systolic widening rate of the RPA in the patients with left to right shunt was significantly larger than that of the 56 apparently healthy control subjects. The systolic widening rate of the RPA was well correlated with the ratio of the pulmonary to systemic blood flow(Qp/Qs) in the patients with left to right shunt thru atrial septal defects(n=6, correlation coefficient=0.918, p<0.01). In 14 patients with either atrial(6 cases) r ventricular septal defects(8 cases) with left to right shunt, the widening rate of the RPA and Qp/Qs ratio were positively correlated with correlation coefficient of 0.787(p<0.001). In conclusion the noninvasive examination of the RPA by suprasternal echocardiography is thought to be very helpful in estimating the Qp/Qs ratio in the patients with left to rifht shunt thru artial or ventricular septal defect.

MeSH Terms

Ductus Arteriosus
Echocardiography*
Heart Septal Defects, Atrial
Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular
Humans
Pulmonary Artery*