WASE Argentina: international study to establish normality values in echocardiography

The American Society of Echocardiography and the Imaging Committee of the European Society of Cardiology established normal values and evaluation guidelines in echocardiography; however, normal values were established based on limited groups of patients, without a global representation. The World Alliance Societies of Echocardiography (WASE) developed a study called the Normal Values Study aimed at establishing normal values through a global population study. Argentina was represented in this project including a total of 101 normal patients. Ventricular volumes, and non-indexed end-diastolic and end-systolic diameters were higher in men than in women. A significant variation of all ventricular values was evident between different countries in the WASE Study, especially at the left end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes. The lower limit of the ejection fraction values is above the normal values represented in the guidelines. Although the values obtained in the Argentine group are similar to those of the global mean, the lower normal value of ventricular mass was significantly lower compared with the rest of the world.