Choose your data source:
Boston (2007)
Washington, D.C. (2008)
Montreal, Canada (2010)
I also have a handy little comparison and charting tool:
echo z-score calculators
Choose your data source:
I also have a handy little comparison and charting tool:
Z-Scores of the left main coronary artery (LMCA), left anterior descending (LAD), and right coronary artery (RCA) using an allometric equation derived from 432 normal patients, aged 0 – 20 years.
Coronary Artery Z Score Regression Equations and Calculators Derived From a Large Heterogeneous Population of Children Undergoing Echocardiography. Olivieri L, Arling B, Friberg M, Sable C. Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography - 12 December 2008.
Calculate Z-Scores of the ascending aorta and aortic root using data published in 2006 from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Per the authors: "Measurements were made in systole... in the parasternal long axis... from inner edge to inner edge. The ascending aorta was measured at the level of the right pulmonary artery."
Also see: consolidated aortic root z-score calculator
Location | Measured | Mean | Range | Z-Score | Percentile |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dilatation of the ascending aorta in paediatric patients with bicuspid aortic valve: frequency, rate of progression and risk factors. Warren AE, Boyd ML, O'Connell C, Dodds L. Heart. 2006 Oct;92(10):1496-500. Epub 2006 Mar 17. PMID: 16547208
These are the default z-score equations currently used on KinetDx/syngoDynamics workstations...
Z scores of 15 cardiac structures including the mitral valve, aortic valve, pulmonary arteries, etc. Regression equations were derived relating cardiac dimensions to the size of the body using a population of 125 normal infants and children. From the Wessex Cardiothoracic Unit, Southampton General Hospital, UK.
Location | Measured | Mean | Range | Z-Score |
---|---|---|---|---|
Relationship of the dimension of cardiac structures to body size: an echocardiographic study in normal infants and children.
Daubeney PE, Blackstone EH, Weintraub RG, Slavik Z, Scanlon J, Webber SA.
Cardiol Young. 1999 Jul;9(4):402-10.
In addition to reporting the absolute values, it is useful to report quantitative measures within the context of age- or size-appropriate norms (eg, z-score values).
how many standard deviations an observation is above or below the mean. It allows comparison of observations from different normal distributions, which is done frequently in research.(See the Wikipedia entry for more information about z-scores.)Concerning the application of z-scores to pediatric cardiology, interested persons should read:
Mean: | ||
Measured | Z-Score | |
---|---|---|
1 mm | ||
2 mm | ||
3 mm | ||
4 mm | ||
5 mm | ||
6 mm | ||
7 mm | ||
8 mm | ||
9 mm | ||
10 mm | ||
11 mm | ||
12 mm | ||
13 mm | ||
14 mm | ||
15 mm | ||
16 mm | ||
17 mm | ||
18 mm | ||
19 mm | ||
20 mm | ||
21 mm | ||
22 mm | ||
23 mm | ||
24 mm | ||
25 mm | ||
26 mm | ||
27 mm | ||
28 mm | ||
29 mm | ||
30 mm | ||
31 mm | ||
32 mm | ||
33 mm | ||
34 mm | ||
35 mm | ||
36 mm | ||
37 mm | ||
38 mm | ||
39 mm | ||
40 mm |
Mean: | ||
Measured | Z-Score | |
---|---|---|
1 mm | ||
2 mm | ||
3 mm | ||
4 mm | ||
5 mm | ||
6 mm | ||
7 mm | ||
8 mm | ||
9 mm | ||
10 mm | ||
11 mm | ||
12 mm | ||
13 mm | ||
14 mm | ||
15 mm | ||
16 mm | ||
17 mm | ||
18 mm | ||
19 mm | ||
20 mm | ||
21 mm | ||
22 mm | ||
23 mm | ||
24 mm | ||
25 mm | ||
26 mm | ||
27 mm | ||
28 mm | ||
29 mm | ||
30 mm | ||
31 mm | ||
32 mm | ||
33 mm | ||
34 mm | ||
35 mm | ||
36 mm | ||
37 mm | ||
38 mm | ||
39 mm | ||
40 mm |
Mean: | ||
Measured | Z-Score | |
---|---|---|
1 mm | ||
2 mm | ||
3 mm | ||
4 mm | ||
5 mm | ||
6 mm | ||
7 mm | ||
8 mm | ||
9 mm | ||
10 mm | ||
11 mm | ||
12 mm | ||
13 mm | ||
14 mm | ||
15 mm | ||
16 mm | ||
17 mm | ||
18 mm | ||
19 mm | ||
20 mm | ||
21 mm | ||
22 mm | ||
23 mm | ||
24 mm | ||
25 mm | ||
26 mm | ||
27 mm | ||
28 mm | ||
29 mm | ||
30 mm | ||
31 mm | ||
32 mm | ||
33 mm | ||
34 mm | ||
35 mm | ||
36 mm | ||
37 mm | ||
38 mm | ||
39 mm | ||
40 mm |
...these could easily be included in echocardiography software, which would allow automated generation of an LV mass-for-height z score and percentile for each child undergoing echocardiography.LV mass was estimated by M-mode echocardiography in 440 healthy nonobese reference children (birth to 21 years) from Boston Children's Hospital.
This calculator is being deprecated. Try the new web app instead.
Fetal echocardiography is routinely performed to screen for right or left ventricular hypoplasia, mitral stenosis, aortic stenosis, and pulmonary stenosis or atresia. Use this calculator to generate z-scores for fetal cardiac dimensions- including the mitral valve, left ventricle, aortic valve, and ascending aorta. Based upon work from the Royal Brompton Hospital, UK.
Site | Measured | Mean | Range | Z-Score |
---|---|---|---|---|
Left Heart (cm) | ||||
Right Heart (cm) | ||||
: | ||||
Isthmus & Duct (mm) | ||||
This is so much better than looking up on a chart. Thanks for the service.
Thanks a lot! It is convenient to use and very useful.
Superb, Thank you very much to make it available
it would be good to have Z scores for interventricular septal thickness. this 25 weeker's IVS measured 2.9mm, qualitatively it looks hypertrophic. I would consider 4mm hypertrophic close to term. thanks for your wonderful work !!!! R Dillenburg, Ped cardiologist, Canada
Rejane : Thanks for the kind words. Z-scores for fetal ventricular wall thickness' would indeed be good... The AJC article by Firpo et al. is probably the closest I have found to providing this information, but they do not explicitly say that their data could be used for z-score calculations. They published the regression equations for the means, and SEE's. The Standard Error of the Estimate does not have the same statistical definition as the Standard Deviation, and my limited understanding of statistics prevents me from using them interchangeably for the purpose of calculating z-scores.
Nice job. A huge contribution. Call on me if you need help. Jim
Thanks Dr. Huhta- I might just do that (call on you).
Thanks for all the effort you've put into making these available. Look forward to the day when everyone uses the data...
Are there z-scores available for fetal aortic root dimensions at the level of the sinuses? Thanks
Dr. Romano: I am unaware of any such reference...
Primarily useful for patients with Kawasaki Disease, this calculator will return a z-score for the left main coronary artery (LMCA), left anterior descending (LAD), and right main coronary artery (RCA).
BSA: | ||||
Site | Measurement | Mean | Range | Z-Score |
---|---|---|---|---|
Coronary artery involvement in children with Kawasaki disease: risk factors from analysis of serial normalized measurements. McCrindle BW, Li JS, Minich LL, Colan SD, Atz AM, Takahashi M, Vetter VL, Gersony WM, Mitchell PD, Newburger JW; Pediatric Heart Network Investigators. Circulation. 2007 Jul 10;116(2):174-9.
Well done grasshopper. Listen for the sound of one hand clapping.
Excellent job!! Many thanks. Keep it up.
Can Z score be calculated offline? Please let me know how?
>>Can the equations be calculated offline? Sure! >>how? From the McCrindle article in Circulation: "The predicted value for a patient of a given body surface area can be obtained by solving the first exponential regression equation, and the associated SD of that predicted value can be obtained by solving the second linear regression equation. The z score is obtained by dividing the difference between the actual measurement and the predicted measurement by the SD" -- the equations are printed in the journal
it would be helpful to have the option of using only BSA, some kids don't get their height measured every time, and estimated BSA can be calculated by weight only
REJANE: the calculator works that way already- if height is not entered the BSA will be estimated from weight alone using this formula: 0.1 * (WT 0.67) Cheers!
very helpful, thanks!
why not circumflex?
@Al: you're welcome! @John: I obviously can't speak for the authors of these articles, but based on my own experience I could venture a guess: the circumflex coronary artery is difficult to image (by echo) with any reliability.
Thank you so much for this valuable information.
By adding or removing Weight, the Z-score jumps within a wide range. It is iportant to see the origine of the calculated Z-score once calculated (i.e., reference ACTUALLY used next to the calculated Z-score). Fianlly, I have tried to use the Z-score from McCrindle, I found it very complex (not user friendly at all) and very likely imbedded with errors (compared to 3 formulae calculations, including one derived from our databse). What do you think of McCrindles equation? Erroneous or adequate?
@Neill: You are quite welcome. @bleb: The WEIGHT is a required component of the BSA calculation- removing it forces the BSA == zero and, you are quite right, causes the z-scores to become quite unbelievable. I probably should have made the calculator handle this situation differently- in the meantime, ALWAYS include a weight. Regarding the complexity and possible errors of the McCrindle equations: I have encountered no such problems. Can you provide a specific example of how the calculations performed might be erroneous? I have tried hard to simply facilitate the calculation of z-scores from published literature without injecting my personal bias about the utility or suitability of the calculations for their purpose. However, since you asked: I find the McCrindle equations to be more than adequate: I think they are excellent- indeed, their published equations are the very model for how to calculate a z-score correctly.
indeed no error in McCrindles CA equations, but a pitfall... that is, measured CA should be entered in CENTIMETERS (quite bizarre for such a cute little vessel)!, or else (I adjusted the formula to read my mm-CA in my XLS spreadsheet, but after a rest I HAD to take).
I'm glad you got it figured out!
excellent effort ,need to post your resources if possible (references)
R: "this calculator will return a z-score for the left main coronary artery (LMCA), left anterior descending (LAD), and right main coronary artery (RCA) as described by de Zorzi et al. (1998). The body surface area is calculated as described by Haycock et al. (1978). UPDATE (21 July 2007): The regression equations of McCrindle et al. (2007) have been added." What other resources/references do you need?
Congratulations for this wonderful and helpful site!! The range for coronary arteries diameters in the de Zorzi et al. study (that is use in this site) are greater than those found in the study done by Tan et al. (Pediatric Cardiology 24:238-335,2003). In this study 390 health children were evaluated by echo. Why do you prefer the diameters described by de Zorzi and coworkers? Don’t you think that Tan and colleagues studied a greater number of children in echo machines with a better resolution? Warmst regards, Samira S Morhy, MD, PhD, FASE Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein Echocardiography Laboratory Sao Paulo, Brazil
The default coronary artery z-score reference is the McCrindle/Circulation 2007 article, actually. I prefer THAT reference over the Tan/Pediatric Cardiology 2003 reference because 1) it is more recent and, 2) it is more sophisticated in the manner in which the standard deviation is dealt with: The 2007 Circulation equations allow for nonconstant variance, whereas the 2003 Ped. Card. equations do NOT. I do like how they made up a new word for the Pediatric Cardiology article's title though: "Coronary normograms and the coronary-aorta index: objective determinants of coronary artery dilatation."
The Z scores were never these handy before. The site is very easy to use and information it gives is very reliable and helpful. An intelligent and beautiful piece of work!
Excellent work. Should be part of the standard pediatric echo report.
@ Dr. Shah: My thoughts, exactly. Thanks for the kind words!
This is great Dan.
Use this calculator to determine z-scores for the aortic valve and aortic root (sinus of Valsalva), using data from Boston Children's Hospital.
Per the authors, the technique used is: "Aortic annulus and root diameters were measured from parasternal long-axis images, with the aortic root diameter taken as the maximum dimension at the level of the sinuses... measured at the maximum systolic dimensions, from inner edge to inner edge."
Body surface area is calculated by the method of Haycock et al.
Also see: consolidated aortic root z-score calculator
BSA: | |||||
Site | Measurement | Mean | Range | Z-Score | Percentile |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
excellent and very easy to use!! I wish you had z-scores for LVID and LA in pediatrics
Thanks! As far as z-scores for the LV and LA- stay tuned. I am working on something that I think is going to work. In the meantime, try this
Thank you for doing this; it's very helpful. The reference you provide, though, is for neonates with borderline LV size. Although I can get a z-score for whatever I put in, I wonder if your normative data extend to older children & teenagers. It's not just extrapolated from the babies, is it? Also, do you have any references for (or will you be adding) sinotubular jct. & AAo msmts, especially in older children? Thanks again for all your work.
Kathy: Thanks for your comments. As far as the z-scores relating to the population, it is my understanding that the authors provided us with the prediction equations for their normative data, as indicated by: ... on the basis of normative data obtained at our institution from children with structurally and functionally normal hearts [16]) were used instead ... To answer your other question about z scores for other measurement sites, this is the same question I have been asking... ParameterZ.com is only a small part of the answer.
No adjustment for age? This is not stratisfied according to sex either. Both of these have been shown to be main predictors of Aortic root size. See Roman and Devereux to determine your REAl z score. If you are an adult male over 40 years old the mean is 3.4cm +/- 0.3. Tis program understates by a healthey amount.
Questions about the cited study design and conclusions drawn (or not drawn) from the results should probably be directed to the authors (and not me). I am simply presenting the findings of the study relevant to the calculation of z-scores. Otherwise, if your are doubting the correctness or accuracy of the calculations themselves as presented here, please let me know. Thanks for the lead on the "Roman and Devereux" studies- I'll read up.
*later that same hour* regarding Roman and Devereux: The 1989 Am J Cardiol study is not a fair comparison to the data THIS calculator is based upon (2006 JACC) Roman et al. measured: using "leading edge technique", in diastole, using c.1989 equipment. The JACC 2006 study measured inside edge to inside edge, in systole (when the root is largest), using modern high resolution equipment. Further, Roman et al. studied what was then referred to as a"large sample size"-- 52 infants and children. The Boston data is based on "496 normal children and young adults" and is further based upon a theoretical and empirically derived allometric relationship. I maintain there is no comparison. It might be noteworthy to add that Roman and Devereux are both involved in the Marfan/losartan clinical trail, whose data will be normed, undoubtedly, using aortic root z-score data from Boston- the latest publication of which is represented here. Your mileage may vary.
The problem is that aortic root diameters are measured as were done in Roman. This is the methedology used in almost all Cardilogist office. Thus these values could be confusing to some individuals if they are looking at their echo report!!!
Great point Tim. One of the lessons I have learned about standardized scores is: technique is important! My entire focus with all of these z-score calculators is to provide reference information for pediatric echo, and as such, some of these calculations may not be relevant for other practice areas. If you are not using the same measurement technique as was used in the reference article, the z-scores will obviously not apply.
Wow. I'm not sure this is accurate? I mean, I've been plotting mine on the chart from my cardiologist and this calculator gives me a huge score!
@ "M.": Are you questioning the veracity of the calculations themselves, or the application of the calculations?
thank you for the calculators--I was wondering if you are aware of any data regarding fetal aortic root ultrasound measurements? cheers, Nayana
Nayana: I am personally unaware of any published z-score equations for the fetal aortic root, but wish you great luck in finding them.
thanks for your prompt reply, Dan.
Gracias por existir!
Very useful
At duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, DE we measure the Ao at the annulus, sinus, junction and ascending. Are z-scores acailable for those locations?
JoAnn: The recent data from Michigan gets you z-scores for everything except the AAO, if you are comfortable with their model. Published equations for Z-Scores of the AAO are indeed rare.
nice, thanks
I got a few referrals for suspicion of fetal dilatation of the ascending aorta on routine ultrasound. We only find Z scores for the aortic annulus, but not for the supravalvar aorta, sinotubuluar junction and ascending aorta. Is there a source I'm not aware of? thanks so much for your help. I love these calculators you provide, keep up the good stuff... Rejane
Rejane: Thanks for your comments. The calculator on this page will only calculate z-scores of the annulus and sinuses of valsalva ("aortic root"). ANOTHER calculator will give you z-scores for the annulus, sinuses, and ST junction. You are not mistaken- neither one has data for the AAO... I have yet to find a published source for AAO z-score equations.
Determine z-scores for the mitral valve, aortic valve, tricuspid valve, and pulmonic valve using this calculator. The regression equations are those from Cincinnati Children's Hospital, based on over 700 children between the ages of 0-18 years.
Location | Measured | Mean | Range | Z-Score |
---|---|---|---|---|
Also see these derivative works:
Two-dimensional echocardiographic valve measurements in healthy children: gender-specific differences. Zilberman MV, Khoury PR, Kimball RT. Pediatr Cardiol. 2005 Jul-Aug;26(4):356-60. Erratum in: Pediatr Cardiol. 2008 Mar;29(2):475.
very nice, if you could put a BSA calculator on the same page it would be even better
Thanks, that's a good point- I will definitely add one.
I did not build one in initially, because there is no mention in the article about how the authors calculated their BSA for this study.
I can add one with a user-selectable choice for BSA formula...
*edit* I should learn to read more closely. The authors indeed disclose that the BSA is "calculated by Dubois formula"
added BSA calculation...
references:
Wikipedia and Steven B. Halls, MD.
Thanks for the suggestion.
Let me know if this doesn't suit the need.
Thank you This is a very useful tool Congratulations!
this will be very helpfull for us here, thanks a lot!!!!!!!!
I am glad you are finding it useful. Gracias a Ustedes!
Thanks. Thanks.It is very helpful. Please include Z score for pulmonary arterteries and ventricular dimensions. Smita Mishra Pediatric Cardiologist Max heart & vascular Institute, Saket New Delhi. India.
I use the published literature as the source for these calculators... as yet, I have not found a suitable reference for the PA's or chamber sizes.
I welcome your suggestions though!
We would appreciate if you display the full range of pedaitric cardiac z scores. not only the valves
Very user-friendly, thank you so much.
@ maitri: the z-scores from this calculator are based upon the Zilberman et al. article in Pediatric Cardiology- they only published z-scores for the valves.
@ Sri: You're welcome!
This is just fantastic.
My son is 13 years old with a diagnosis of aortic stenosis ( mild to moderate) mild aortic insufficiency and a mod aortic root enlargement 3.5 cm. I was recently told he had a Z score of 6 and was asked to consider a beta blocker, this is a congenital diagnosis he does not have Marfans. I was wondering if you could give me an idea where to go to read more about how Z scores are scored and what that score means? Thanks so much!
Beverley: you should really discuss this with your son's pediatric cardiologist!
Could you please add z scores for LVPW and IVS. Thanks!!!!!
Very useful, thanks!
Great resource, thank you
very good. thanks! i used to calculate Z score manually, it is clumsy.
Excellent. Thanks. Hospital Nacional de Ninos. Costa Rica.
As a surgeon who is in the position of trying to achieve a certain z score with reconstruction, it would be helpful to be given small table with two columns: structure diameter and z score, for a given BSA. It would also be more consistent with clinical practice if the structure measurement input were in millmeters instead of centimeters, since that is how we size these valve on echo. These are vey minor bookkeeping issues, though. Overall, this is an absolutely terrific service you have provided to our community. Thank you very much.
Dear Dr. Jaquiss:
Thanks for taking the time to provide your feedback on the z-score calculator.
From the perspective of the sonographer, the calculated z-score is just what gets the patient from the echo lab to you... I never thought to use the data from the other side of the coin (so to speak).
I'll be working on your proposed adaptation to the Cincinnati valve z-score data directly.
Thanks!