title: Coronary blood flow by transthoracic echocardiography in children with endomyocardial fibrosis.
abstract: We report herein the coronary flow (CF) pattern determined by transthoracic Doppler echocardiography (TTDE) in two children with biventricular endomyocardial fibrosis (EMF). Endomyocardial biopsy showed various degrees of cardiac fibrosis in both patients as well as signs of chronic inflammation in one of the patients. TTDE showed a significant increase in CF in both the left anterior descending coronary artery and the posterior descending coronary artery compared with age-matched healthy controls. The diastolic flow in patients with EMF appeared to terminate earlier than in controls. The mechanisms and the potential significance of these novel findings are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Lund University Hospital, Getingevägen, Lund, Sweden. elhadi.aburawi@med.lu.se
authors.forename: Elhadi H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Aburawi
authors.forename: Petru
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Liuba
authors.forename: Erkki
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pesonen
mesh_terms: D001706:Biopsy; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003326:Coronary Circulation / Q000502:physiology*; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000379:methods*; D004719:Endomyocardial Fibrosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant