title: Evaluation of late cardiotoxicity with pulsed Doppler echocardiography in patients treated for Hodgkin's disease.
abstract: The impact of valvular, myocardial and pericardial abnormalities on cardiac haemodynamics in patients treated for Hodgkin's disease with COPP/ABVD with and without mediastinal irradiation was determined in 49 patients 2-10 years after induction therapy. Diagnostic procedures to evaluate cardiac function consisted of history, physical examination, exercise bicycle stress test, M-mode two-dimensional and pulsed Doppler echocardiography. No patient reported symptoms related to cardiomyopathy, and only one of the 49 had evidence of coronary heart disease. Pericardial thickening was seen on echocardiograms in 19/49 patients (38.8%), valvular thickening in 21/49 (42.9%), and reduced fractional shortening in 9/49 (18.4%). The Doppler-derived mean E and A (+/- SD) of transmitral flow were 0.75 +/- 0.14 m/s and 0.56 +/- 0.09 m/s, respectively, in patients receiving chemotherapy and 0.81 +/- 0.19 m/s and 0.63 +/- 0.20 m/s in those with additional mediastinal irradiation. There was no statistically significant difference between mean E and A in transmitral flow in patients treated for Hodgkin's disease and control subjects. Furthermore, the transtricuspid and hepatic vein flow velocities did not differ significantly. Although the present study demonstrates high frequencies of pericardial and valvular thickening in patients treated for Hodgkin's disease with the COPP/ABVD regimen with or without mediastinal irradiation, it showed no impact on cardiac flow velocities. The abnormalities might thus be of minor clinical relevance in these patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Haematology and Oncology, University of Berlin, Klinikum Steglitz, Germany.
authors.forename: E D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Kreuser
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Völler
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Behles
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Schröder
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Uhrig
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Besserer
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Thiel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008943:Mitral Valve / Q000503:physiopathology; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects; D014261:Tricuspid Valve / Q000503:physiopathology; D016276:Ventricular Function / Q000502:physiology