Abstract

• One hundred and 66 normal subjects were studied by two dimensional pulsed Doppler echocardiography to estimate velocity within heart and great vessels. Velocities were obtained at a beam flow intercept angle close to 0°in ascending aorta, main pulmonary artery, tricuspid and mitral valve orifice.
  Quantative angle corrected peak flow velocities were generally lower on the right side than on the left side of the heart. Differences in tricuspid(mean 58.3cm/sec) versus mitral (mean 70.8cm/sec) value orifice and pulmonary(mean 75.7cm/sec) versus ascending aorta (mean 111.7cm/sec) were significant(p<0.05). Only signifcant relationship between mitral valve velocity and body surface area was noted, but there was no significant difference between other value velocity and age or body surface area.
  These normal Doppler data should be useful for comprisons with data obtained in children with various forms of congenital heart disease that affect flow dynamics.