Tissue Doppler and Speckle Tracking Echocardiography Assessment of Left
Ventricular Function in Children with Cystic Fibrosis
Abstract
Abstract Background: Cystic fibrosis may lead to left ventricular
dysfunction. This dysfunction can be documented by methods such as
tissue doppler echocardiographic imaging and two-dimensional speckle
tracking echocardiography in early stage. Patients and Methods: A total
of 34 patients diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (mean age and SD 9.9±4.9
years) and 37 healthy control subjects with a comparable gender and age
distribution (mean age 9.8±4.3) were studied. The results for the two
groups were compared along with the results of published reports.
Result: Control group had higher diastolic and systolic dimentions
compared to the patient group in M-mode measurements of left ventricle
by conventional echocardiography (p <0.05). There was no
significant relationship between the groups in terms of the dimensions
of systolic and diastolic measurements of interventricular septum and
posterior wall of left ventricle, and ejection fraction. Pulmonary
artery systolic pressure was significantly higher in the patient group
(p<0.001). Myocardial performance indices of left ventricle
free wall and interventricular septum were increased in the patient
group compared to the control group (p<0.05). ). As measured
by speckle tracking echocardiography, 7 segments in left ventricular
myocardial longitudinal strain and 3 segments in left ventricular
myocardial circumferential strain showed significant reductions in
patients with cystic fibrosis compared to controls (p <0.05).
Conclusions: Tissue doppler echocardiographic imaging and speckle
tracking echocardiography may help identifying subclinical left
ventricular dysfunction in cystic fibrosis patients with unremarkable
conventional echocardiography. Its may be considered for the routine
follow-up of cystic fibrosis patients.