title: Diastolic function in anthracycline-treated children.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Anthracyclines are effective medications for childhood cancer. Their limitation is the risk of cardiomyopathy. Although diastolic dysfunction has been described in patients who received anthracyclines, cardiac monitoring has focused on systolic function, which is abnormal in up to 41% of the patients. We conducted a study to assess diastolic function utilising transmitral inflow Doppler velocities and tissue Doppler imaging in anthracycline-treated children 5 years post-therapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a retrospective study on 63 anthracycline-treated patients. Echocardiographic parameters included peak early and late transmitral inflow Doppler velocities (E, A), E/A ratio, E deceleration time, and tissue Doppler imaging early and late diastolic mitral annulus velocities (E', A'), E/E' ratio, and E'/A' ratio.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All indices of diastolic function that we measured were normal in the anthracycline-treated patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We conclude that diastolic function assessed by transmitral inflow Doppler velocities and tissue Doppler imaging is normal in anthracycline-treated children 5 years after completion of treatment. Further longitudinal study is needed to determine whether diastolic function becomes abnormal with time in this patient population.
authors.affiliation: 1Department of Pediatrics,Division of Cardiology,Children's National Health System,The George Washington University School of Medicine,Washington,District of Columbia,United States of America.
authors.forename: Ashraf
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Harahsheh
authors.affiliation: 2Department of Pediatrics,Division of Cardiology,Children's Hospital of Michigan,Wayne State University,Detroit,Michigan,United States of America.
authors.forename: Sanjeev
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aggarwal
authors.affiliation: 3Rocky Mountain Pediatric Cardiology,Denver,Colorado,United States of America.
authors.forename: Michael D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Pettersen
authors.affiliation: 4Department of Pediatrics,Division of Cardiology,University of Virginia Health System,Charlottesville,Virginia,United States of America.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: L'Ecuyer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D018943:Anthracyclines / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009202:Cardiomyopathies / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002648:Child; D003971:Diastole / Q000502:physiology*; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008943:Mitral Valve / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013599:Systole / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D018943:Anthracyclines
keywords: Cardiomyopathy; echocardiogram; paediatric cardiology; tissue Doppler imaging