Does Doppler analysis of hepatic venous flow predict increased right atrial pressure and right ventricular dysfunction?
Vinsonneau C; Carrat F; Boccara F; Buyukoglu B; Lamisse N; Cohen A Service de cardiologie, centre hospitalo-universitaire Saint-Antoine, Paris. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that Doppler study of hepatic venous flow, reflecting right atrial pressures and right ventricular dysfunction, allows prediction of increased right atrial pressure and right ventricular dysfunction in patients with right ventricular infarction. The authors studied 30 patients (27 men, mean age 54 +/- 12 years) in sinus rhythm with acute inferior myocardial infarction who underwent right heart catheterisation and Doppler echocardiography including recording of regurgitant and hepatic vein flow within 48 hours of hospital admission. Hepatic venous flow was used to measure peak velocity and velocity time integrals (VTI) of the systolic (S), diastolic (D) and atrial (a) contraction waves. The fraction of systolic filling was calculated: VTI S/VTI S + VTI D. The pressure half-time of pulmonary regurg
