Preliminary Research On Left Ventricular Mass In Atrial Or Ventricular Septal Defect Disease Patients By Real-Time Three-Dimensional Echocardiography

0bjective: To evaluate the feasibility, accuracy and superiority of real-time three-dimensional echocardiography (RT-3DE) in the assessment of left ventricular mass (LVM) on patients with atrial septal defect (ASD) or ventricular septal defect (VSD), and to initially explore the clinical value.Methods: Left ventricular mass index (LVMI) were measured in 31 ASD patients, 33 VSD patients and 31 healthy volunteers by M-mode echocardiography (ME), two-dimensional echocardiography (2DE) simpson method and RT-3DE respectively, which was used to check the viability, accuracy and superiority of RT-3DE. Additionally, RT-3DE was used to measure end-diastolic volume index (LVEDVI), left ventricular stroke volume index (LVSVI) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in all subjects. Then the LVMI and left ventricular function changes in ASD patients and VSD patients were investigated. Moreover, the correlation between LVMI and left ventricular function was also analyzed.Result: 1. ME, 2DE and RT-3DE examinations allow optimal images in all subjects (31 ASD patients, 33 VSD patients and 31 normal controls). 2. There is good correlation between LVMI measured by ME, 2DE and RT-3DE (r=0.727~0.882, all P<0.05). Moreover, LVMI measured by RT-3DE is less than which measured by ME but larger than which measured by 2DE (all P<0.05). 3. ASD case: LVMI, LVEDVI, LVSVI and LVEF measured by RT-3DE in ASD patients is less than that in normal subjects (all P<0.05). LVMI was positively related to LVEDVI, LVSVI and LVEF (r=0.502~0.689, all P<0.05). 4. VSD case: LVMI measured by RT-3DE in VSD patients is larger than that in normal controls, but the difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05). No statistical difference was found between LVEF measured by RT-3DE in VSD patients and normal subjects (P>0.05). LVEDVI and LVSVI measured by RT-3DE in VSD patients were larger than normal controls (both P<0.05). LVMI was positively related to LVEDVI and LVSVI (r=0.451~0.463, both P<0.05), but was not related to LVEF in VSD patients (r=-0.230, P>0.05).Conclusions: RT-3DE is a new, rapid and reliable means to assess the LVM when used clinically, and is of great significance to study cardiac muscle change in congenital heart disease (CHD) patients.