ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Doppler tissue imaging (DTI) is a useful modality to quantitatively assess regional myocardial function. Studies attempting to establish reference values for DTI velocities in healthy children have been limited by small sample sizes and limited age distribution. In addition, the clinical effect of cardiac growth and other demographic and echocardiographic parameters on DTI velocities during childhood has not been adequately evaluated. METHODS: Pulsed wave DTI velocities were obtained in 325 healthy children at the lateral mitral annulus, interventricular septum, and lateral tricuspid annulus during early diastole, late diastole, and ventricular systole and were compared with demographic and echocardiographic study variables. RESULTS: In healthy children, parameters of cardiac growth, most notably left ventricular end-diastolic dimension, have the most significant correlation with the majority of DTI velocities. Age was also significantly correlated with most DTI velocities whereas sex, heart rate, and other echocardiographic parameters demonstrated minimal or no correlation. CONCLUSIONS: This study establishes reference values for DTI velocities and demonstrates the important clinical effects of cardiac growth and age on DTI velocities in neonates and children.