Echocardiographic assessment of discrete subaortic stenosis in childhood

The validity of Laplace's relation for assessing peak left ventricular pressure has previously been demonstrated in children with congenital aortic valve stenosis by using the echocardiographically determined end-diastolic hr ratio (that is, the ratio of mean left ventricular septal and posterior wall thicknesses to half the minor left ventricular cavity axis). This report examines the applicability of this ratio to the preoperatlve assessment of left ventricular pressure in 17 children with discrete subaortic stenosis. Because the regression equation derived from previously published data on patients with aortic valve stenosis and the present data on children with subaortic stenosis were similar, a pooled estimate of peak left ventricular pressure (LVP) in children with left ventricular outflow tract obstruction is presented: LVP = 312.23 (hr) ± 28.01 (hr).