Background: To study echocardiographic parameters of right ventricular function in healthy full-term neonates during first week of life.

Materials and Method: Detailed echocardiographic evaluation of right ventricular function was performed in 25 healthy full-term neonates during first week of life.

Results: Inferior vena cava showed inspiratory collapse of around 50% suggesting normal respiratory change in right atrial filling. Systolic wave velocity was more than diastolic wave velocity in hepatic vein and superior vena cava suggesting normal filling pattern of right atrium. Right ventricular outflow tract fractional shortening was more than 50% suggesting normal systolic function of right ventricle. Pulmonary artery flow acceleration time was 88.5±17.6 msec suggesting higher pulmonary vascular resistance. Systolic excursion and slope of lateral tricuspid annulus were more than those of medial tricuspid annulus suggesting greater systolic shortening of lateral wall of right ventricle. Pulsed Doppler evaluation of tricuspid flow revealed A-wave velocity more than E-wave velocity suggesting impaired relaxation pattern. Velocity of propogation of late diastolic tricuspid flow was more than that of early diastolic flow suggesting impaired relaxation with rapid filling during atrial systole. Tissue Doppler imaging of tricuspid annulus also revealed greater velocity in late diastole than in early diastole. These findings also suggest impaired relaxation pattern of right ventricle in neonates during first week of life.

Conclusions: Our data provide preliminary information for various echocardiographic parameters of right ventricular function in healthy full-term neonates during first week of life. Right ventricle shows impaired relaxation pattern in this age group. This could be due to only partial regression of right ventricular dominance of fetal circulation. (J Clin Prev Cardiol. 2013;2(4)195-201)

Keywords: echocardiography; neonates; right ventricle; tissue Doppler imaging

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