title: Detection of Left Ventricular Regional Function in Asymptomatic Children with beta-Thalassemia Major by Longitudinal Strain and Strain Rate Imaging.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Cardiac failure due to iron overload remains the most common cause of death in patients with beta-thalassemia major. This study aimed to evaluate myocardial function in children with beta-thalassemia major using standard echocardiography technique and strain rate imaging.
  
  
  METHODS
  Conventional echocardiographic analysis, tissue velocity imaging, and strain/strain rate imaging of the left ventricle were evaluated in 48 children with beta-thalassemia major (19 girls, 29 boys; 8.39±4.05 years) and 22 healthy children (11 girls, 11 boys; 8±3.72 years).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Conventional echocardiographic examinations revealed that beta-thalassemia patients had larger left ventricular end-systolic diameter, end-diastolic and end-systolic volume, left ventricular mass index, and mitral early/late diastolic flow velocity ratio (p<0.05). Strain and strain rate imaging study of the basal lateral wall of the left ventricle was higher in patients than in controls, at p=0.035 and p=0.008, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found that superior systolic strain and strain rate imaging of the left ventricle indicated the presence of regional systolic function in the left ventricular wall. We suggest that left ventricle volume and mass index parameters might be more sensitive than the other conventional and strain/strain rate imaging parameters during childhood. However, the adulthood strain and strain rate imaging values may be lower than controls, exceeding the critical level of iron overload.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  None declared.
authors.affiliation: Gaziantep University Medical Faculty, Department of Pediatric Hematology, Gaziantep, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bay
authors.affiliation: Gaziantep University Medical Faculty, Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Gaziantep, Turkey.
authors.forename: Osman
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Başpınar
authors.affiliation: Gaziantep Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatric Hematology, Gaziantep, Turkey.
authors.forename: Göksel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Leblebisatan
authors.affiliation: Gaziantep University Medical Faculty, Department of Pediatric Hematology, Gaziantep, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ali Seçkin
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Yalçın
authors.affiliation: Gaziantep University Medical Faculty, Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Gaziantep, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Irdem
keywords: Regional left ventricular cardiac function; Strain; Strain rate imaging; Thalassemia; childhood