ABSTRACT
Objective To observe the changes of plasma N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-pro-BNP) and cardiac performance in children with ventricular septal defect (VSD) before and after interventional therapy,and analyze the relationship between the cardiac performance and NT-proBNP level.Methods A total of 100 children[43 male,57 female,5-8(6.3 ±-2.1) years old] with VSD for cardiac catheter occlusion in the First Hospital of Hebei Medical University were enrolled in this study as the VSD group.The control group included 50 healthy children.Concentrations of plasma NT-proBNP were measured before operation and the 3rd day and the 6th month after cardiac catheterization,respectively.Before operation and the 7th day and the 6th month after cardiac catheterization,the parameters of left ventricular end diastolic diameter(LVEDD),left ventricular end systolic diameter(LVESD),left ventricular end systolic volume (LVESV),left ventricular end diastolic volume (LVEDV) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) were measured by echocardiography.The relationships between plasma NT-proBNP levels and echocardiographic cardiac functional indexes were analyzed.Results There was a significant difference in plasma NT-proBNP levels measured between the 2 groups before catheterization(P ＜ 0.01) ;In the 3rd day and the 6th month after cardiac catheterization,the plasma NT-proBNP level decreased significantly as compared to that in the before operation and the 3rd day respectively (P ＜ 0.01),while it was similar to the control group (P ＞ 0.05).The para-meters of LVEDD,LVESD,LVESV and LVEDV in the 6th month and the 7th day after catheterization were decreased significantly as compared to those before catheterization in VSD group(all P ＜ 0.05),and those in the 6th month were more decreased as compared to those in the 7th day(all P ＜ 0.05).The plasma NT-proBNP level was significantly correlated with LVEDD,LVESD,LVESV,LVEDV in VSD group(r =0.82,0.56,0.62,0.77,all P ＜ 0.01).Conclusions The value of plasma NT-proBNP in the children with VSD was decreased after catheterization was correlated with the recover of the heart function.It is indicated that the test of plasma NT-proBNP will be of important significance in asses-sing the heart function change of the children with VSD after catheterization.