Tissue Doppler imaging in rheumatic carditis.
OBJECTIVE
Our study was undertaken to assess cardiac functions by tissue Doppler echocardiography in patient with primary episode of rheumatic carditis.


METHODS
We divided 82 patients with rheumatic carditis were divided in two groups; 50 patients with mild and 32 patients with mitral regurgitation of grade two or more. A control group consisted of 30 healthy children free of any disease. All children underwent conventional and tissue Doppler echocardiography initially and at the time of the follow-up examination.


RESULTS
Myocardial systolic wave velocity of the mitral annulus was significantly higher in patients with mitral regurgitation of grade two or more when compared to the control group, but was not different between patients with mild mitral regurgitation and healthy subjects at the time of the initial attack. Myocardial precontraction time, myocardial contraction time, and the ratio of myocardial precontraction and contraction times were significantly prolonged, and the systolic myocardial velocity of the mitral annulus was significantly decreased in patients with mitral regurgitation of grade two or more at the time of the follow-up examination. The myocardial systolic wave velocity was significantly lower, and myocardial precontraction time, myocardial contraction time, and the ratio of the precontraction and contraction times, were significantly longer or greater between patients with grade two or more mitral regurgitation and the control group at follow-up examination.


CONCLUSIONS
We detected subclinical systolic dysfunction of the left ventricle in children with a primary episode of rheumatic carditis due to ongoing ventricular volume overload. Tissue Doppler imaging provides a quantifiable indicator useful for cardiac monitoring of disease during the period of follow up.
Polat
Tugcin Bora
TB
1 Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Dr. Siyami Ersek Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
Yalcin
Yalim
Y
1 Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Dr. Siyami Ersek Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
Erdem
Abdullah
A
1 Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Dr. Siyami Ersek Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
Zeybek
Cenap
C
1 Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Dr. Siyami Ersek Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
Akdeniz
Celal
C
1 Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Dr. Siyami Ersek Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
Celebi
Ahmet
A
1 Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Dr. Siyami Ersek Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
D000293:Adolescent; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008944:Mitral Valve Insufficiency / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D009200:Myocardial Contraction / Q000502:physiology*; D009205:Myocarditis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D063177:Pulse Wave Analysis; D012214:Rheumatic Heart Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013599:Systole