title: Assessment of cardiac functions using tissue Doppler imaging in children with familial Mediterranean fever.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Familial Mediterranean fever may carry a potential for cardiovascular disorders because of sustained inflammation during its course; however, there has been a limited number of studies investigating the cardiac functions in children. The aim of this study was to assess both ventricular diastolic functions using conventional echocardiography and tissue Doppler imaging in children with familial Mediterranean fever.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study population included 25 patients with familial Mediterranean fever - mean age was 11.8 plus or minus 5.30 years - and 23 healthy patients as controls - mean age was 9.88 plus or minus 3.69 years. Both ventricular functions were measured using echocardiography comprising standard M-mode and conventional Doppler and tissue Doppler imaging during an attack-free period.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The conventional echocardiographic parameters with myocardial performance index were in normal ranges and similar in patients with familial Mediterranean fever and controls, with a p-value more than 0.05. However, right ventricular diastolic dysfunction was observed in patients with familial Mediterranean fever documented by tissue Doppler imaging, with a p-value less than 0.05 for E't and A't wave ratio.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Using tissue Doppler imaging, we have demonstrated that although left ventricular functions were comparable in the patients and healthy children, right ventricular diastolic function indices were impaired in patients with familial Mediterranean fever during childhood. Impaired right ventricular diastolic function may be an early manifestation of cardiac involvement in children with familial Mediterranean fever.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatric Cardiology, Kecioren Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey. pedkard@gmail.com
authors.forename: Osman
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ozdemir
authors.forename: Pinar Isik
authors.initials: PI
authors.lastname: Agras
authors.forename: Yusuf
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Aydin
authors.forename: Ayhan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Abaci
authors.forename: Samil
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hizli
authors.forename: Halil Ibrahim
authors.initials: HI
authors.lastname: Akkus
authors.forename: Cihan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fidan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000379:methods; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler / Q000379:methods*; D010505:Familial Mediterranean Fever / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D014421:Turkey; D018497:Ventricular Dysfunction, Right / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left / Q000502:physiology