Color Doppler Echocardiographic Evaluation of Tricuspid Regurgitation and Systolic Pulmonary Artery Pressure in the Full-Term and Preterm Newborn

Color Doppler echocardiography of tricuspid valve regurgitation (TR) is a valid, nonin vasive method of determining systolic pulmonary artery pressure (SPAP). In a prospec tive study the authors examined 56 healthy full-term newborns (group I), 36 healthy preterm newborns (group II), and 10 preterm newborns with severe respiratory distress syndrome requiring surfactant replacement therapy (group III). Doppler studies were repeated until the transtricuspid gradient was <20 mm Hg.In 83.3% of children a reproducible spectral curve was recorded at least once. The authors estimated the transtricuspid gradient Δp(RV-RA) by using the modified Bernoulli equation. Within the first twenty-four hours p(RV-RA) was <20 mm Hg in 72.7%, 50%, and 25% of children with measurable TR in groups I, II, and III, respectively, increasing to 91.1%, 78.6%, and 55.6% within forty-eight hours. There was no significant correla tion between SPAP and gestational age, birth weight, mode of delivery, and ductal closing time. Continuous ...