title: Evaluation of left ventricular mass in children with left-sided congenital diaphragmatic hernia.
abstract: To evaluate left ventricular (LV) mass in children with left-sided congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), we retrospectively examined the echocardiographic data available on all newborn infants with a diagnosis of CDH between April 1989 and May 1993. Adequate data for evaluation were available for 20 of 31 patients with left-sided CDH and no significant congenital heart disease. Left ventricular mass was determined from two-dimensional echocardiograms by an area-length method. Findings were compared with a control group that consisted of neonates with other causes of pulmonary hypertension. Patients with left-sided CDH had a significantly lower indexed LV mass than control subjects (1.96 gm/kg +/- 0.59 vs 2.84 gm/kg +/- 0.41; p = 0.0001). Additionally, children with left-sided CDH who required extracorporeal membrane oxygenation before repair (n = 7) had a significantly lower indexed LV mass than those patients who did not require extracorporeal membrane oxygenation before repair (1.53 gm/kg +/- 0.50 vs 2.20 gm/kg +/- 0.52; (p = 0.007). Infants who survived (n = 13) had an indexed LV mass of 2.09 gm/kg +/- 0.58 vs 1.64 gm/kg +/- 0.58 in those who died (p = 0.07). We conclude that the LV mass index in children with left-sided CDH is significantly lower than in children with other causes of pulmonary hypertension in the newborn period. Evaluation of LV mass in neonates with left-sided CDH may help predict the need for extracorporeal support before surgical repair, and may help indicate overall prognosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, C. S. Mott Children's Hospital, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Schwartz
authors.forename: R P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Vermilion
authors.forename: R B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Hirschl
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004452:Echocardiography; D015199:Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation; D005544:Forecasting; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006548:Hernia, Diaphragmatic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy; D065630:Hernias, Diaphragmatic, Congenital; D006801:Humans; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen