Assessment of Structure, Function, and Rhythm of the Heart with Echocardiography and Electrocardiography in Adolescent Swimmers.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the cardiac parameters by using electrocardiography and echocardiography in adolescent swimmers. Twenty-two adolescent swimmers and 22 gender- and age-matched sedentary controls admitted to our center between November 2018 and May 2019 were included in this study. In addition to demographical characteristics, participants were assessed via a 12-lead electrocardiography and two-dimensional echocardiography for cardiac function. On the echocardiography, end-systolic and end-diastolic interventricular septum, end-systolic and end-diastolic left ventricular posterior wall thicknesses, left atrial width, Tricuspid E, left ventricular mass and left ventricular mass index were higher in the swimmers when compared to the sedentary controls (P < 0.05). On the electrocardiography, Tp-e duration which reflects ventricular transmural repolarization, and Tp-e/QT and Tp-e/corrected QT ratios were higher in the swimmers than the sedentary controls (P < 0.05). In conclusion, swimming exercise in children leads to concentric thickening of left ventricle and induces an increase in Tp-e duration, and Tp-e/QT and Tp-e/corrected QT ratios, which are the novel markers for risk of ventricular arrhythmias.

Paediatric systemic lupus erythematosus: A single referral centre experience.

In this study, the clinical and laboratory findings, management and follow-up of 32 children with paediatric systemic lupus erythematosus (pSLE) were evaluated to determine the prognostic factors in pSLE. Of the 32 patients, 25 (78.1%) were females. Age at onset of symptoms and diagnosis in the patients were 147.6 ± 49 months and 154.3 ± 48 months, respectively. The most common symptom on admission were joint problems, seen in 25 (78.1%) patients. Haematological alterations were seen in 25 (78.1%) cases during follow-up. Lupus nephritis was diagnosed in 10 (31.2%) patients. Malar rash was seen in a total of 12 (37.5%) patients during follow up, however it had been noted in five (15.6%) patients on admission. Antinuclear antibody and anti-dsDNA were positive in all patients and 31 (96.8%) patients, respectively. Decreased complement 3 and 4 levels were noted in 23 (71.8%) patients. Antiphospholipid antibody was studied in 27 patients and it was found to be positive in 13 (48.1%) patients. In conclusion, based on our findings, we would like to emphasize that pSLE has a large and remarkable clinical and laboratory findings.

Increased ischaemia-modified albumin is associated with inflammation in acute rheumatic fever.

INTRODUCTION: Ischaemia-modified albumin, a novel biochemical marker for tissue ischaemia, was found to be associated with oxidative stress. The purpose of this study was to assess the role of ischaemia-modified albumin in the diagnosis of acute rheumatic fever and also to evaluate the ischaemia-modified albumin levels in children with heart valve disease. METHODS: The study groups, aged 5-18 years, consisted of 128 individuals - 40 with acute rheumatic fever, 35 with congenital heart valve disease, 33 with chronic rheumatic heart disease, and 20 healthy control subjects. RESULTS: The ischaemia-modified albumin, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and C-reactive protein levels of the acute rheumatic fever group were significantly higher than those in the chronic rheumatic heart disease, congenital heart valve disease, and control groups, separately (p < 0.001). The ischaemia-modified albumin levels in both carditis and isolated arthritis subgroups of children with acute rheumatic fever were significantly higher than in the control group (p < 0.001, p < 0.01, respectively). However, there was no statistically significant difference between the chorea subgroup and control subjects. In addition, significant correlations were observed between ischaemia-modified albumin and acute phase reactants of patients with acute rheumatic fever (p < 0.001 for both erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein). The ischaemia-modified albumin levels of chronic rheumatic heart disease, congenital heart valve disease, and control subjects were similar. CONCLUSIONS: The increased level of ischaemia-modified albumin in children with acute rheumatic fever seems to be associated with inflammation. However, further studies are needed to provide stronger evidence.

Dispersion durations of P-wave and QT interval in children with congenital heart disease and pulmonary arterial hypertension.

This study aimed to investigate homogeneity disorders of ventricular repolarization and atrial conduction via QT dispersion and P-wave dispersion in children with congenital heart disease (CHD) and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Three groups of 20 each were generated and involved in this study. The first group included 20 children with both CHD and PAH. The second group consisted of 20 children with CHD but no PAH, and the third group was composed of 20 age- and sex-matched healthy children. Electrocardiographic records were used to determine P-wave, QT, and corrected QT (QTc) dispersions. The pulmonary hypertension group compared with the group having no pulmonary hypertension and the control group showed a significantly longer P-wave dispersion duration (39.10 ± 9.54 vs. 26.30 ± 4.99 ms, p < 0.001; and 24.80 ± 6.94 ms, p < 0.001, respectively) and QT dispersion duration (52.80 ± 15.11 vs. 37.60 ± 6.00 ms, p < 0.001; and 35.00 ± 7.77 ms, p < 0.001, respectively). In addition, the durations of maximum QTc and QTc dispersion were significantly longer in pulmonary hypertension group than in the other two groups. The risk of atrial and ventricular arrhythmia was found to be increased in the patients with both CHD and PAH. Physicians should pay close attention to possible atrial and ventricular arrhythmias during the treatment and follow-up evaluation of these patients.

The Prevalence of von Willebrand Disease and Significance of in Vitro Bleeding Time (PFA-100) in von Willebrand Disease Screening in the Izmir Region.

OBJECTIVE: von Willebrand disease (vWD) is the most common hereditary bleeding disorder. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the prevalence of vWD among adolescents in Izmir and to assess the sensitivity and specificity of PFA-100 as a screening method in detecting this disease. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Our study was conducted on adolescents in the city of Izmir between October 2006 and March 2007. A total of approximately 1500 high school students between 14 and 19 years of age were planned to be included in the investigation. Survey forms prepared for assessing hemorrhagic diathesis were completed by 1339 individuals (512 males, 827 females). The necessary laboratory tests were performed after having obtained written informed consent from 40 individuals suspected to have hemorrhagic diathesis. RESULTS: Based on the von Willebrand factor antigen (vWF:Ag) and ristocetin cofactor activity (vWF:RCo) levels and bleeding symptoms, vWD type-1 was diagnosed in 14 individuals (4 males, 10 females; prevalence: 1.04%). The most common bleeding symptom in these patients was found to be epistaxis (10/14). Screening with PFA-100 revealed prolongation in both cartridges (Col/ADP and Col/Epi) in 3 of the 14 patients. PFA-100 was determined to exhibit 21.4% sensitivity and 100% specificity in the diagnosis of vWD. CONCLUSION: The PFA-100 device was found to have high specificity but to have exhibited low sensitivity. Therefore, its utilization as a screening test may be problematic in patients with mild type-1 vWD. Specific tests (vWF:RCo, vWF:Ag) are required for the definite diagnosis of vWD. However, further studies with a large number of patients are needed. CONFLICT OF INTEREST: None declared.

PHACE syndrome with growth hormone deficiency and absence of bilateral internal carotid arteries: a case report.

PHACE syndrome is characterized by posterior fossa malformations (P), large facial hemangiomas (H), arterial anomalies (A), cardiac anomalies or coarctation of aorta (C), and eye anomalies (E) and has striking female predominance. Endocrine abnormalities have recently been described in these patients, involving the thyroid and pituitary glands. We report the case of a 2-year-old girl with the clinical features of PHACE with absence of bilateral internal carotid arteries and isolated growth hormone deficiency.

[Ventricular septal defect developed due to coronary artery injury after blunt chest trauma in childhood]. / Cocukluk döneminde künt gögüs travmasi sonrasi koroner arter zedelenmesine bagli gelisen ventriküler septal defekt.

In the literature, cardiac response associated with blunt chest trauma in children has been reported generally as case reports, and interventricular septal rupture due to trauma is quite rare. Interventricular septal rupture can develop even in the absence of visible signs of a trauma because of the flexibility of the chest structure in children. In the present case, a seven-year-old boy with interventricular septal rupture at the mid-muscular region and left ventricle pseudoaneurysm developed due to injury to the left anterior descending coronary artery after a traffic accident is reported. Patients with cardiac murmur detected on physical examination after a blunt chest trauma must be considered as cardiac injury, and in those with signs of ischemia detected on electrocardiography, it should not be forgotten that the coronary artery may be affected.

First Evaluation of P Dispersion and Tp-e Parameters in Electrocardiograms of Children with Diabetic Ketoacidosis

Objective: Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is an important complication of type 1 diabetes mellitus. We aimed to evaluate the effect of metabolic disorders of DKA on electrocardiography (ECG) parameters in children. Methods: This study was performed between December 2018 and March 2020 and included 39 children with DKA and 40 healthy children. Three ECGs (one before and two after treatment) were obtained from the patient group. P-wave dispersion (Pd), QT dispersion (QTd), QTc dispersion (QTcd), Tp-e intervals, and the ratios of Tp-e/QT and Tp-e/QTc were measured electrocardiographically. ECG parameters from children with DKA and healthy controls were compared statistically. Results: The mean age of the patient group was 10.50±4.12 years. There was no significant difference in terms of age, gender, weight, height and body mass index between patients and controls. In the patient group, a statistically significant increase was found in Pd, QTd and QTcd in the initial ECG compared to the second and third ECGs. Also, when the first and third ECGs were compared, a significant increase in Tp-e and Tp-e/QT was evident in the first ECG. There was a significant difference in the values of Pd, QTd, QTcd, Tp-e and Tp-e/QT in the first ECGs, obtained before DKA treatment, and those values obtained from the control group. Conclusion: This is the first article evaluating Pd and Tp-e parameters in children with DKA. Cardiac arrhythmia risk markers were increased in children with DKA compared to controls. Therefore, clinicians should be aware of the possibility of developing new arrhythmias during DKA treatment.

Investigation of the effect of epicardial adipose tissue thickness on cardiac conduction system in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Objectives Investigation of the association between epicardial adipose tissue thickness (EATT) and P-wave dispersion (Pd), QT dispersion (QTd), corrected QT dispersion (QTcd) and Tp-e interval in children with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) was aimed. Methods Forty-one children with T1DM and 41 age- and gender-matched healthy children were included in the study. Demographical characteristics of all cases were examined. In echocardiography; in addition to conventional echocardiographic measurements, end-systolic EATT was measured from right ventricular free wall. In electrocardiogram; Pd, QTd, QTcd and Tp-e interval durations, as well as Tp-e/QT and Tp-e/QTc ratios were calculated. Correlation values between EATT and electrocardiographic parameters were also noted. Results Mean age of the patient group was determined to be 12.43 ± 3.04 years and that of the control group was determined to be 12.08 ± 2.56 years. There was no significant difference between the groups in regard to age, gender, body weight, height and body mass index. In the patient group; EATT, Pd, QTd, QTcd and Tp-e interval were determined to be significantly higher compared to the control group. In the patient group, no significant correlation was determined between EATT and Pd, QTd, QTcd and Tp-e. However, when both patient and control groups were evaluated together, a statistically significant positive correlation was determined between EATT and Pd, QTd, QTcd and Tp-e. Conclusions In children with T1DM, an increase in epicardial adipose tissue thickness and in risk of cardiac arrhythmias has been demonstrated. To reveal the possible unfavorable effects of EATT on cardiac conduction system in T1DM patients needs further studies.

Prolonged P-Wave and QT Dispersion in Children with Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Remission.

Objectives. Ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) are chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) with unclear underlying aetiologies. Severe cardiac arrhythmias have been emphasised in a few studies on adult IBD patients. This study aimed to investigate the alteration of the P-wave and QT interval dispersion parameters to assess the risk of atrial conduction and ventricular repolarisation abnormalities in pediatric IBD patients. Patients and Methods. Thirty-six IBD patients in remission (UC: 20, CD: 16) aged 3-18 years and 36 age- and sex-matched control patients were enrolled in the study. Twelve-lead electrocardiograms were used to determine durations of P-wave, QT, and corrected QT (QTc) interval dispersion. Transthoracic echocardiograms and 24-hour rhythm Holter recordings were obtained for both groups. Results. The P-wave dispersion, QT dispersion, and QTc interval dispersion (Pdisp, QTdisp, and QTcdisp) were significantly longer in the patient group. The mean values of Pminimum, Pmaximum, and QTcminimum were significantly different between the two groups. The echocardiography and Holter monitoring results were not significantly different between the groups. Furthermore, no differences in these parameters were detected between the CD and UC groups. Conclusion. Results suggest that paediatric IBD patients may carry potential risks for serious atrial and ventricular arrhythmias over time even during remission.

Tuberous sclerosis and cardiac tumors: new electrocardiographic finding in an infant.

Cardiac rhabdomyoma, the primary cardiac tumor most often diagnosed in children, is frequently present in patients with tuberous sclerosis. Most pediatric patients with rhabdomyoma are asymptomatic; however, various electrocardiographic abnormalities can be detected, such as Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, ectopic atrial tachycardia, and atrioventricular node dysfunction. We describe the case of a 10-month-old infant girl who had tuberous sclerosis and multiple cardiac rhabdomyomas. Her electrocardiographic presentation was notable for dome-shaped T waves and no ST segment in some leads. To our knowledge, this electrocardiographic finding has not been described in patients with tuberous sclerosis and cardiac masses.

Evaluation of epicardial adipose tissue, carotid intima-media thickness and ventricular functions in obese children and adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Childhood obesity is a cardiovascular risk factor. OBJECTIVE: Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) thickness, carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and cardiac functions of obese children and their correlations were evaluated. SUBJECTS: Five hundred obese children and 150 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. METHODS: Anthropometric, laboratory data and echocardiographic measurements of IMT, EAT and cardiac functions were determined. RESULTS: Increased M-mode echocardiographic measurements, E/e' ratios, Tei index values and decreased E/A and e'/a' ratios (where E and A are early and late mitral/tricuspid diastolic velocities, respectively, and e' and a' are peak early diastolic and peak atrial systolic myocardial velocities, respectively), were determined in the obese group. Also, carotid artery IMT and EAT thickness were significantly higher in obese children. Carotid artery IMT, EAT thickness and left ventricular mass (LVM) were found to be strongly associated with Tei index values. CONCLUSION: Obesity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. In our study, we showed that obese children have early subclinical systolic and diastolic dysfunctions. Also, these cardiac impairments are correlated with the increase in IMT, EAT thickness and LVM.

The role of tenascin-C and oxidative stress in rheumatic and congenital heart valve diseases: an observational study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of tenascin-C (TnC) and total oxidant-antioxidant status to rheumatic or congenital heart valve diseases (HVD) in pediatric patients. METHODS: Fifty pediatric patients (25 rheumatic HVD patients and 25 congenital HVD patients) and 20 healthy age-matched control subjects, aged 3-17 years, were enrolled in this observational and cross-sectional study. Serum total antioxidant capacity (TAC), total oxidant status (TOS), oxidative stress index (OSI) and TnC levels were compared among the groups. ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: Serum TnC level of the patients with rheumatic HVD [median 9.09 (0.94-46.30) ng/mL] was significantly higher than both congenital HVD and control groups [median 2.97 (0.66-11.80) ng/mL; p<0.01, 4.72±1.77 ng/mL; p<0.05, respectively]. However, there was no statistically significant difference between the congenital and control groups in terms of serum TnC level. The levels of serum TAC, TOS and OSI were found to be statistically similar in all groups. In addition, there were no correlations between the level of TnC, and TOS and OSI. CONCLUSION: Tenascin-C can be used as a biochemical marker in the differential diagnosis of rheumatic and congenital HVD. As the oxidant and antioxidant systems were found to be in equilibrium in rheumatic and congenital HVD, oxidative stress can be thought not to have a marked role in the etiopathogenesis of rheumatic HVD during childhood.

Usability of QTc dispersion for the prediction of orthostatic intolerance syndromes.

BACKGROUND: Syncope is defined as transient loss of consciousness and muscle tone, usually of short duration. Noncardiac causes of syncope are classified as orthostatic intolerance syndromes (OIS). QT and QTc (corrected QT) dispersions are the measurements of myocardial instability and show predisposition to arrhythmias. In this study; clinical findings, QT and QTc dispersions of the patients who were diagnosed as OIS were evaluated retrospectively. Also, the aim of the study is to clarify the association of clinical characteristics of unexplained syncope with the outcome of the QT and QTc dispersions in children. METHODS: We designed a retrospective study including 152 children and adolescents who had repeated unexplained syncope or presyncope between June 2002 and August 2010. Head-up Tilt table test (HUTT) were performed for all patients. Control group consisted of 67 healthy children. The QT and QTc dispersions were measured from the 12 ECG leads. RESULTS: Eighty-four (55.2%) patients had positive and 68 (44.8%) had negative response to HUTT. QT and QTc dispersions were significantly higher in HUTT-positive group than in negative (p < 0.01, p < 0.001 respectively). Also, QTc dispersion was significantly higher in both vasovagal syncope and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome groups than in HUTT-negative group (p < 0.001, p < 0.05 respectively). Specifity and sensitivity of QTc dispersion for predicting positive HUTT are 76.5% and 59.5% respectively. The positive predictive value of the test calculated as 75.8%. CONCLUSIONS: These results revealed that we can use QTc dispersion measurement as a noninvasive electrocardiographic test to evaluate OIS for predicting positive result before performing HUTT.

[The association between pulmonary arterial hypertension and malnutrition in children with congenital heart diseases with left-to-right shunt: an observational study]. / Sol-sag santli dogustan kalp hastaligi olan çocuklarda pulmoner arteriyel hipertansiyonla malnütrisyonun iliskisi: Gözlemsel bir çalisma.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between the degree of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and the level of malnutrition in children with acyanotic congenital heart diseases and left-to-right shunt, and especially to evaluate the development rates of malnutrition in patients with borderline PAH. METHODS: The study was performed with data of 327 patients with acyanotic congenital heart diseases and left-to-right shunt and underwent cardiac catheterization between January 2001-February 2011. The design of the study was retrospective and observational. All patients were evaluated with anthropometric measurements, echocardiography and cardiac catheterization. They were classified according to the mean pulmonary artery pressure and level of malnutrition. Chi-square, ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used for statistical analysis. Normally and abnormally distributed data were analyzed with Pearson and Spearman correlation tests respectively. RESULTS: Malnutrition was detected in 94.8% of patients with PAH and 17.2% of no PAH patients according to Gomez classification (p<0.001). In addition, malnutrition was detected in 23.5% (16/68) of borderline PAH group. A negative association was detected between mean pulmonary arterial pressure and body weight for age (Gomez) and z scores of weight (p<0.001 for all). Z scores of weight and height were significantly decreased in patients with PAH in contrast to no PAH group (p<0.001, p<0.01 respectively). There was no statistical difference between no PAH and borderline PAH groups according to Gomez classification and relative body weight formula, however z scores of weight in borderline PAH group were decreased compared with no PAH group (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: A positive association was detected between the degrees of PAH and level of malnutrition in children with a cyanotic congenital heart diseases with left-to-right shunt. Borderline PAH may be a predisposing factor for malnutrition and further studies are needed for this subject.

Evaluation of cardiac functions in term small for gestational age newborns with mild growth retardation: a serial conventional and tissue Doppler imaging echocardiographic study.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to evaluate the cardiac functions of term small for gestational age (SGA) babies with mild growth retardation by echocardiography during the postnatal period. METHODS AND RESULTS: Thirty term SGA (2271±207 g/38-41 weeks (mean 39.5 weeks)) and 30 term AGA (3298±338 g/38-41 weeks (mean 39 weeks)) newborns as the control group, with normal general health status and with no nutritional problems were evaluated at three time points, on the 3rd postnatal day, at the 3rd and the 6th months. In the initial analysis, heart rate, left ventricular end diastolic diameter index (LVEdDI), cardiac index (CI), all E/A, Em/Am and E/Em ratios, pulsed wave Doppler myocardial performance index (MPI), and tissue Doppler imaging MPI values were higher in SGA babies than the control group. In the last analysis, only heart rate, LVEdDI and CI values were different between SGA and control groups. CONCLUSIONS: Systolic and diastolic cardiac dysfunctions were determined in SGA babies with mild growth retardation during the first 6 months of postnatal period. Any disease that affects the hemodynamic stability of these patients during postnatal period may lead to early progressive deterioration in cardiac functions. Furthermore, many of the cardiac functions of these babies have been improved about the 6th month period, and high levels of heart rate and LVEdDI may be suggested as an indicator of cardiac remodeling.