Rapid ventricular remodeling with left ventricular unloading postventricular assist device placement: new insights with strain imaging.
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.
Havemann
Luke
L
Lillie Frank Abercrombie Section of Pediatric Cardiology, Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.
McMahon
Colin J
CJ
Ganame
Javier
J
Price
Jack
J
Fraser
Charles D
CD
Eidem
Benjamin W
BW
Pignatelli
Ricardo H
RH
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