PATET ratio by Doppler echocardiography: non-invasive detection of pediatric pulmonary arterial hypertension

Pulmonary artery acceleration time (PAT) and PAT: ejection time (PATET) ratio are echocardiographic measurements of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). These non-invasive quantitative measurements are ideal to follow longitudinally through the clinical course of PAH, especially as it relates to need for and/or response to treatment. This review article focuses on the current literature of PATET measurement for infants and children as it relates to shortening of the PATET ratio in PAH. At the same time, further development of PATET as an outcome measure for PAH in pre-clinical models, particularly mice, such that the field can move forward to human clinical studies that are both safe and effective. Here we present what is known about PATET in infants and children and discuss what is known in pre-clinical models with particular emphasis on neonatal mouse models. In both animal models and human disease, PATET allows for longitudinal measurements in the same individual, leading to more precise determinations of disease/model progression and/or response to therapy.