title: Altered central aortic elastic properties in Kawasaki disease are related to changes in left ventricular geometry and coronary artery aneurysm formation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recent evidence has suggested that patients display altered arterial elasticity after Kawasaki disease (KD). However, changes in the elastic properties of the central aorta and their relevance to left ventricular geometry have not been studied in patients after KD with and without coronary artery aneurysms (CAAs).
  
  
  METHODS
  Clinical and laboratory characteristics of 75 patients with KD were compared with those of 57 controls. The patients with KD included 17 patients with CAAs and 58 patients without CAAs. Values for aortic stiffness index, aortic distensibility, aortic strain, and left ventricular mass index (LVMI) were retrospectively obtained from echocardiographic measurements of the ascending aorta and left ventricle with noninvasive blood pressure evaluation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Systolic blood pressure, pulse pressure, LVMI, and aortic stiffness index were significantly higher and aortic distensibility and aortic strain significantly lower in patients with KD than in the controls. In patients with KD, age at the time of study, interval between the onset of KD and the initiation of this study, CAAs, and LVMI were significantly associated with aortic stiffness index, aortic distensibility, and aortic strain. Multivariate analysis revealed that CAAs and LVMI were independently relevant to aortic stiffness index and aortic distensibility.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The central aortas of patients after KD have altered elastic properties. CAAs and LVMI are independently correlated with central aortic elasticity.
authors.affiliation: Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, Organ Function-Oriented Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Akita, Japan.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Oyamada
authors.forename: Manatomo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Toyono
authors.forename: Shunsuke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shimada
authors.forename: Mieko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aoki-Okazaki
authors.forename: Tsutomu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takahashi
mesh_terms: D001011:Aorta / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D003323:Coronary Aneurysm / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000379:methods; D055119:Elastic Modulus; D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009080:Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*