title: Rapid ventricular remodeling with left ventricular unloading postventricular assist device placement: new insights with strain imaging.
abstract: We report the case of a 6-year old girl who presented with severe dilated cardiomyopathy. Cross-sectional echocardiography demonstrated a severely dilated hypokinetic left ventricle with an ejection fraction less than 10%. She developed intractable ventricular tachyarrhythmias and subsequently had a left ventricular assist device implanted. Within 1 week of mechanical support, echocardiography demonstrated dramatic reverse remodeling of the left ventricle with marked improvement in myocardial deformation using strain rate imaging. This report further highlights the potential for rapid remodeling after mechanical support of the failing myocardium.
authors.affiliation: Lillie Frank Abercrombie Section of Pediatric Cardiology, Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Luke
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Havemann
authors.forename: Colin J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: McMahon
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ganame
authors.forename: Jack
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Price
authors.forename: Charles D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Fraser
authors.forename: Benjamin W
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Eidem
authors.forename: Ricardo H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Pignatelli
mesh_terms: D002311:Cardiomyopathy, Dilated / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery*; D002648:Child; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006353:Heart-Assist Devices; D006801:Humans; D020127:Recovery of Function; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery*; D020257:Ventricular Remodeling