1981 Volume 22 Issue 5 Pages 715-728
Pulsed Doppler echocardiography (PDE) was performed in 10 patients with Ebstein's anomaly and 10 cases of tricuspid regurgitation secondary to mitral stenosis.
Distal atrialized right ventricle (ATRV): In all patients with Ebstein's anomaly, tricuspid regurgitant flow was recognized by PDE. In this lesion with moderate tricuspid regurgitation, a widely dispersed dot pattern was recorded during systole. However, in the cases with severe tricuspid regurgitation a relatively smooth dot pattern was recognized. In the cases with marked delay in pressure rise in the right ventricle, PDE showed a bimodal regurgitant flow pattern. The interval between the onset of QRS and that of tricuspid regurgitant flow with right ventricular pressure rise was measured. The interval corrected for heart rate ranged from 0.10 to 0.35 with an average of 0.19±0.08 sec. In the subjects with secondary tricuspid regurgitation, it ranged from 0.07 to 0.11 sec. This interval was significantly prolonged in Ebstein's anomaly as compared to that in secondary tricuspid regurgitation (p<0.001).
Proximal ATRV: Tricuspid regurgitant flow was detected in 6 of 10 patients with Ebstein's anomaly. The disturbed flow was less apparent in the proximal ATRV than in the distal ATRV.
