May 2010

Quantification in pediatric echocardiography requires a consensus on what and how measurements should be made in a standard protocol, and this document has been constructed as a ‘‘manual of operations’’ to address this need. Although it presents a comprehensive list of guidelines when performing measurements during a pediatric echocardiogram, there are several limitations to this document. First, it does not explore the relative value of each measurement as it pertains to prognosis and outcome and therefore does not represent a list of measurements which should be performed on the basis of accuracy, reproducibility, and prognostic importance. In addition, it does not provide guidelines on how the measurements should be included in an echocardiographic report, especially in this era of structured reporting. Last, it does not fully address measurements obtained by 3D echocardiography and myocardial deformation analysis, two techniques that are currently undergoing extensive evaluation and will likely play an important role in clinical practice. This document, however, does standardize quantification methods as the first step in the task of generating a normative database that encompasses the range of body sizes and ages encountered in the pediatric population.