[Measurement by Doppler echocardiography of the pulmonary arterial pressure in children with ductus arteriosus. Simultaneous Doppler and hemodynamic study].

The aim of this study was to evaluate Doppler echocardiography in the non invasive assessment of pulmonary artery pressures in children with patent ductus arteriosus. Systolic pulmonary artery pressure was measured simultaneously at cardiac catheterisation and by pulsed Doppler in 11 children (mean age 1.8 +/- 2 years) with patent ductus arteriosus alone (6 cases) or associated with a malformation of the heart or great arteries (5 cases). Doppler assessment of systolic pulmonary artery pressure was performed by subtracting the value of the maximal pressure gradient between the aorta and pulmonary artery from the systolic systemic pressure measured simultaneously by sphygmomanometry. The maximal pressure gradient between the aorta and pulmonary artery was calculated using the modified Bernouilli formula and the maximal velocity (v) of the shunt flow (gradient = 4 v2). Ductal flow was recorded from the suprasternal approach by direct interrogation of the patent ductus visualised by 2D echocardiography. The systolic pulmonary arterial pressure measured by catheterisation ranged from 21 to 82 mmHg (mean 58 +/- 21 mm Hg) and by pulsed Doppler from 20 to 89 mm Hg (mean 56 +/- 24 mm Hg) (correlation r = 0.94). This study illustrates the value of Doppler echocardiography in the assessment of systolic pulmonary artery pressures in children with patent ductus arteriosus.