Corrigendum: Comparison of cardiac function between single left ventricle and tricuspid atresia: assessment using echocardiography combined with computational fluid dynamics.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fped.2023.1159342.].

Comparison of cardiac function between single left ventricle and tricuspid atresia: assessment using echocardiography combined with computational fluid dynamics.

Patients with single left ventricle (SLV) and tricuspid atresia (TA) have impaired systolic and diastolic function. However, there are few comparative studies among patients with SLV, TA and children without heart disease. The current study includes 15 children in each group. The parameters measured by two-dimensional echocardiography, three-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (3DSTE), and vortexes calculated by computational fluid dynamics were compared among these three groups. Twist is best correlated with ejection fraction measured by 3DSTE. Twist, torsion, apical rotation, average radial strain, peak velocity of systolic wave in left lateral wall by tissue Doppler imaging (sL), and myocardial performance index are better in the TA group than those in the SLV group. sL by tissue Doppler imaging in the TA group are even higher than those in the Control group. In patients with SLV, blood flow spreads out in a fan-shaped manner and forms two small vortices. In the TA group, the main vortex is similar to the one in a normal LV chamber, but smaller. The vortex rings during diastolic phase are incomplete in the SLV and TA groups. In summary, patients with SLV or TA have impaired systolic and diastolic function. Patients with SLV had poorer cardiac function than those with TA due to less compensation and more disordered streamline. Twist may be good indicator for LV function.

Ventricular function and dyssynchrony in children with a functional single right ventricle using real time three-dimensional echocardiography after fontan operation.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and clinical value of real time three-dimensional echocardiography (RT-3DE) for assessing ventricular systolic dysfunction and dyssynchrony in children with an functional single right ventricle (FSRV) having undergone the Fontan procedure. METHODS: Twenty-five children with an FSRV and 25 healthy children were enrolled in our study. RV volume analysis was performed compared with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as the reference standard in FSRV patients. The patients were divided into wide and narrow QRS interval groups. Global and regional functions of the RV in three compartments (inflow, body, and outflow) were compared between FSRV and control subjects, including RV systolic dyssynchrony indices of maximal difference of time to minimal volume (Tmsv-Dif), standard deviation of time to minimal volume (Tmsv-SD), maximal difference of time to minimal volume corrected by R-R interval (Tmsv-Dif%), and standard deviation of time to minimal volume corrected by R-R interval (Tmsv-SD%). RESULTS: RT-3DE measurements were significantly lower than MRI measurements for RV-EDV, RV-ESV, RV-SV, and RVEF (p < 0.01).Compared with controls, patients with an FRSV had significantly higher dyssynchrony indices and significantly lower global EF in both narrow QRS interval and wide QRS interval groups. Tmsv-SD% was shown to be most strongly correlated with MRI-RVEF (r = -.570, p = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: RT-3DE tended to underestimate RV ventricular volume in children with FSRV. Children with an FSRV and either a wide or narrow QRS interval had reduced ventricular function and higher dyssynchrony than normal subjects. Worsening RV dyssynchrony is associated with overall decline in function after the Fontan operation.

Fecal microbiota transplantation for refractory diarrhea in immunocompromised diseases: a pediatric case report.

BACKGROUND: Immunocompromised (IC) patients have an increased risk of refractory diarrhea. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is a safe and effective therapy for infection-related diarrhea which are mainly mediated by the loss of the microbial colonization, although there is concern that IC patients may be at higher risk of infectious complications related to FMT. And reports of FMT in IC children are limited. CASE PRESENTATION: We describe two cases of FMT in IC children with refractory diarrhea. One IC child had polyendocrinopathy, enteropathy, X-linked syndrome and the other child had graft-versus-host disease. Both of the children had a long course of diarrhea and no response to traditional treatment. FMT was performed on both patients via nasojejunal tubes under guidance of gastroduodenoscopy. After FMT, the patients achieved remission of symptoms and neither of them had related infectious complications. Microbiota analysis showed that FMT resulted in reconstruction of a diverse microbiota. CONCLUSIONS: Use of FMT is safe and effective in treatment of refractory diarrhea in IC children with a damaged microbiota.

Velocity vector imaging for the assessment of segmental ventricular function in children with a single right ventricle after cavopulmonary anastomosis.

OBJECTIVE: Ventricular function assessment is very important for the treatment and prognostic classification of children with a single right ventricle (SRV) after cavopulmonary anastomosis (CPA). However, unusual ventricular shapes can result in inaccurate measurements. The aim of this study was to evaluate velocity vector imaging (VVI) for assessing segmental ventricular function in children with SRV after CPA. METHODS: Twenty-one children with SRV after CPA and 21 age- and sex-matched children with normal biventricular anatomy and function were included. The longitudinal velocity, displacement, strain and strain rate were measured in the two groups in six segments by VVI. The velocity, displacement, strain and strain rate of the SRVs were compared with max(dp/dt) measured during simultaneous cardiac catheterization in the SRV subjects. RESULTS: The control group consisted of 13 males and 8 females (69% males) with a mean age of 6.7 ± 3.5 years and mean weight of 20.5 ± 6.5 kg, and the study group consisted of 13 males and 8 females with a mean age 6.7 ± 3.7 years and mean weight of 20.6 ± 6.8 kg. Age, weight and sex distribution were similar between the groups (all, p > .05). Strain and strain rate values in all six segments were significantly lower in the study group than in the control group (all, p < .05). The max(dp/dt) of the SRV was 522.84 ± 158.32 mmHg/s, and the strain rate of the basal segment at the rudimentary chamber correlated best with max(dp/dt) (r = 0.74, p < .01). CONCLUSIONS: Segmental ventricular dysfunction was present in children with SRV after CPA, and it could be assessed using VVI.

Ventricular Twisting and Dyssynchrony in Children with Single Left Ventricle Using Three-Dimensional Speckle Tracking Imaging after the Fontan Operation.

BACKGROUND: The importance of left ventricular (LV) twisting has been recognized in various types of heart disease, but no studies have investigated twisting of functional single ventricle using echocardiography. This study aimed to evaluate LV twisting and dyssynchrony of children with single left ventricle (SLV) after the Fontan operation and explore the relationship between twisting motion and ventricular contractility using three-dimensional speckle tracking imaging (3DSTI). METHODS: Thirty-five children with SLV and 35 healthy children (controls) were enrolled. The patients were divided into wide and narrow QRS groups according to the QRS interval. Atrioventricular valve inflow velocity and tissue Doppler imaging velocity were obtained, and the Tei index was calculated. Apical rotation, basal rotation, twist, torsion, time to peak apical rotation, time to peak basal rotation, time to peak twist, apical-basal rotation delay, and the systolic dyssynchrony index (SDI) were measured by 3DSTI. RESULTS: Patients with SLV had significantly lower apical rotation (2.50 ± 2.25° vs. 4.85 ± 2.68°, P < 0.001), basal rotation (-3.46 ± 3.11° vs. -7.76 ± 2.11°, P < 0.001), twist (5.15 ± 4.75° vs. 12.19 ± 3.65°, P < 0.001), and torsion (1.04 ± 0.99°/cm vs. 2.37 ± 0.77°/cm, P < 0.001) compared to controls. Time to peak basal rotation, apical-basal rotation delay, and time to peak twist were significantly longer in patients. Apical rotation was significantly lower in the wide QRS group but similar in the narrow QRS group as compared to controls. Time to peak twist and apical-basal delay were significantly longer in the wide QRS group in contrast to the similar time in the narrow QRS group compared with controls. Among these twisting parameters, twist and torsion were most significantly correlated with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), the Tei index, and SDI. Twist and age were significantly correlated. CONCLUSION: Twisting is reduced in children with SLV after the Fontan operation. Torsion is a good indicator of LV global function because of good reproducibility and its lack of association with age.

Evaluation of Left Ventricular Volumes and Function by Real Time Three-Dimensional Echocardiography in Children with Functional Single Left Ventricle: A Comparison between QLAB and TomTec.

BACKGROUND: Real time three-dimensional echocardiography (RT3DE) provides a reliable analysis of left ventricular (LV) volume. Despite a wide spectrum of tracking algorithms presently available, which software is most suitable for evaluating functional single left ventricle (FLSV) is unknown. Herein, we compared two of the most commonly used 3DE algorithms for quantification of LV volumes in the pediatric population with FLSV. METHODS: Thirty-six children with FLSV were prospectively enrolled. The LV volume analysis was performed on QLAB 8.1 (semiautomated border tracking) and TomTec 4D LV 3.0 (manual dominant border tracking) and compared with MRI as the reference standard. RESULTS: 3DE volume quantification was achieved for 32 children with QLAB and 34 children with TomTec. Analysis time was much shorter for QLAB than TomTec (4.8 ± 1.2 vs. 6.3 ± 1.8 minutes, P < 0.05). Ejection fraction (EF) by either 3DE modality was significantly lower than the published normal values (P < 0.01 for each). End-diastolic volume (EDV), end-systolic volume (ESV), stroke volume, and EF calculated by both 3DE modalities underestimated MRI values. Compared to QLAB, TomTec showed better correlation and smaller intertechnique differences with MRI (the 95% limits of agreement, EDV: -20.84 to 5.18 mL in QLAB, -10.66 to 1.84 mL in TomTec; ESV: -8.94 to 3.07 mL in QLAB, -2.45 to 0.98 mL in TomTec; SV: -13.31 to 3.45 mL in QLAB, -9.34 to 2.0 mL in TomTec; EF: -12.07 to 7.76% in QLAB, -9.64 to 1.52% in TomTec), TomTec was more reproducible with better intraclass correlation coefficients and variation coefficients. CONCLUSIONS: Both 3DE modalities tend to underestimate LV volumes, but the correlation of LV volumes and EF between 3DE and MRI still holds well. Despite a longer operating time, TomTec analysis is more accurate and reproducible.

Assessment of longitudinal systolic ventricular dysfunction and asynchrony using velocity vector imaging in children with a single right ventricle.

Assessment of ventricular dysfunction and asynchrony is very important in predicting the outcome for children with a single right ventricle. However, the assessment is inaccurate and subjective because of the unusual ventricular shape. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and clinical value of velocity vector imaging for assessing longitudinal systolic ventricular dysfunction and intraventricular asynchrony in children with a single right ventricle. The study enrolled 36 children with a single right ventricle and 36 age-matched children with a normal heart. Peak systolic velocity, peak displacement, strain, strain rate, time to peak systolic velocity, and time to peak systolic strain were measured via velocity vector imaging using the Siemens Sequoia C512 echocardiography instrument. The maximum positive rate of ventricular pressure change (Max [dp/dt]) was obtained by cardiac catheterization for all the children with a single right ventricle. In the children with a single right ventricle, the maximal temporal differences and the standard deviations of the times to peak systolic velocity and peak systolic strain were higher (P < 0.01) than in the children with a normal heart. Moreover, the strain and strain rate values were significantly lower in all six segments (P < 0.05). The strain rate of the basal segment adjacent to the rudimentary chamber correlated best with Max (dp/dt) (r = 0.86; P < 0.01). Longitudinal systolic dysfunction and intraventricular asynchrony could be assessed accurately using velocity vector imaging in children with a single right ventricle.

Echocardiographic assessment of juxtaposition of the right atrial appendage in children with congenital heart disease.

The objective of this study was to analyze the echocardiographic characteristics of juxtaposition of the atrial appendages and to determine its prevalence in children with congenital heart disease. From June 1998 to December 2008, 10,880 children underwent selective angiocardiography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and echocardiography for evaluation of congenital heart disease. Juxtaposition of the atrial appendages was diagnosed based on the results of angiocardiography and MRI; the echocardiographic characteristics of this anomaly were analyzed retrospectively. There were 33 patients diagnosed with juxtaposition of the right atrial appendage (JRAA); no patient was diagnosed with juxtaposition of the left atrial appendage. The prevalence of JRAA in children with congenital heart disease was 0.30%. JRAA and abnormal spatial orientation of the atrial septum were visualized by Doppler echocardiography in 28 cases. In the remaining five cases, three cases with suspected JRAA could not be determined by echocardiography and the diagnosis was missed in two cases. The most common associated anomalies were conotruncal malformations (16 cases with double outlet of the right ventricle, 9 cases with pulmonary atresia, 6 cases with transposition of the great arteries, 1 case with tetralogy of Fallot) and tricuspid malformations (6 cases with tricuspid straddling, 3 cases with tricuspid atresia, 2 cases with tricuspid valve stenosis). Based on the characteristic alteration of the plane of the atrial septum and visualization of the malpositioned right atrial appendage, JRAA can be accurately diagnosed by Doppler echocardiography.