Echocardiography as a guide for patent ductus arteriosus ibuprofen treatment and efficacy prediction.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate echocardiography criteria in predicting the response to ibuprofen treatment.

DESIGN: A prospective cohort study of preterm infants untreated or treated with ibuprofen for patent ductus arteriosus.

SETTING: Three academic neonatal intensive care units.

PATIENTS: Two hundred fifty-two preterm infants of 27-31 wks gestation.

INTERVENTIONS: Ibuprofen treatment within the first 5 days of life was indicated when at least two out of four conventional echocardiography criteria were observed: ductal diameter >2 mm, left-right ductal shunt maximum velocity <2 m/sec, mean flow velocity in left pulmonary artery >0.4 m/sec, and end-diastolic flow velocity in left pulmonary artery >0.2 m/sec.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Of the infants analyzed, 135 had a closed ductus at an average age of 1.9 ± 0.9 days, and 43 had an open ductus but <2 predefined criteria. Seventy-four infants (29%) received ibuprofen on day 2.2 ± 1.1. Sixteen infants failed ibuprofen and nine had to undergo surgical ligation. The left-right ductal shunt maximum velocity criterion had the best negative predictive value for treatment response, while the ductal diameter criterion had the best positive predictive value.

CONCLUSIONS: Echocardiography may be a useful tool to help patent ductus arteriosus management. A combined use of ductal diameter and left-right ductal shunt maximum velocity criteria allows a more accurate prediction of the response of infants with patent ductus arteriosus to ibuprofen treatment.