[Diagnosis of noncompaction of the ventricular myocardium by echocardiography].
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the value of echocardiography in the diagnosis of noncompaction of the ventricular myocardium (NCVM) and to elucidate the echocardiographic characteristics of NCVM.


METHODS
This study included 53 patients (28 boys and 25 girls), with an age for initial diagnosis of 15 days to 18 years, who were diagnosed with NCVM by echocardiography between May 2006 and May 2015. Transthoracic two-dimensional echocardiography and color Doppler were performed for qualitative diagnosis, and the end-diastolic non-compacted layer/compacted layer (N/C) ratio measured in the parasternal ventricular short-axis sectional view was selected as the criterion for quantitative diagnosis.


RESULTS
The excessively prominent ventricular trabeculae and deep inter-trabecular recesses were all seen in 53 cases, and the blood flow in the cardiac chambers was connected to the inter-trabecular recesses. The areas involved in NCVM were mainly the apex (100%) and the middle segment of the left ventricular lateral wall (98%), followed by the middle segment of the left ventricular posterior wall (49%) and the middle segment of the left ventricular inferior wall (42%). In 53 children with NCVM, the N/C ratio was 4.3±1.9 (2.1-10.0). Cardiac insufficiency was found in 83% (44/53) of the children with NCVM, and the left ventricular ejection fraction for these children was (43±9)%.


CONCLUSIONS
Echocardiography can be used in the qualitative and quantitative diagnosis of NCVM and in the evaluation of cardiac function. The apex and the middle segment of the left ventricular lateral wall are often involved in NCVM, accompanied by decrease in the left ventricular ejection fraction.
Pediatric Heart Center, Children's Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai 201102, China. gyhuang2010@aliyun.com.
Xiao-Jing
XJ
Ma
Guo-Ying
GY
Huang
Jing
J
Zhang
Yan
Y
Gao
Xue-Cun
XC
Liang
Wei-Da
WD
Chen
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D013318:Stroke Volume; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left