Doppler assessment of right ventricular filling in a normal population. Comparison with left ventricular filling dynamics.

To examine whether alterations in right ventricular filling dynamics occur with increasing age and to compare right and left ventricular filling in normal subjects, pulsed Doppler echocardiographic studies were performed at the tricuspid and mitral anuli in 50 normal volunteers (23 males and 27 females) with an age range of 5-66 years. An age-related decrease in peak early filling velocity, increase in peak late velocity, and augmentation in the late/early ratio of peak velocities at the tricuspid anulus were observed (r = -0.68, 0.63, and 0.84, respectively). Significant correlations were also found between age and first third, first half, and atrial filling fractions (r = -0.60, -0.72, and 0.69, respectively). Weaker relations were observed between heart rate and Doppler-derived diastolic parameters (r = 0.18-0.54). Right ventricular filling indexes related significantly to those of the left ventricle (r = 0.58-0.88), the best being for the late/early ratio of peak velocities. With inspiration, an increase in early and late right ventricular filling occurred, whereas a reduction in filling occurred in the left ventricle. Thus, careful consideration for age, heart rate, and respiration is necessary in examining the effect of disease states or therapeutics on the filling dynamics of either the right or left ventricle.