Radiotherapy-related arterial intima thickening and plaque formation in childhood cancer survivors detected with very-high resolution ultrasound during young adulthood.

Background: The aim of the study was to evaluate arterial morphology and function in a national cohort of long-term survivors of high-risk neuroblastoma (NBL) treated with high-dose chemotherapy and autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation with or without total body irradiation (TBI).

Methods And Results: Common carotid, femoral, brachial, and radial artery morphology were assessed with very-high-resolution vascular ultrasound (25-55 MHz), and carotid artery stiffness and brachial artery flow-mediated dilatation measured with conventional vascular ultrasound in 19 adult or pubertal (age 22.7 ± 4.

Repeatability and agreement of real time three-dimensional echocardiography measurements of left ventricular mass and synchrony in young patients.

Background: Left ventricular mass (LVM) and synchrony have prognostic value for many cardiovascular disease states. We report the agreement and repeatability of LVM estimation by three-dimensional (3D) versus M-mode and repeatability of 3D estimation of systolic dyssynchrony.

Methods: 3DLVM was computed by subtraction of endocardial from epicardial volume X1.

Adult testicular volume predicts spermatogenetic recovery after allogeneic HSCT in childhood and adolescence.

Background: Testicular dysfunction and infertility are of major concern in long-term survivors after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). This study assesses predictive factors for very long-term testicular recovery after allogeneic HSCT in childhood and adolescence.

Procedure: Testicular volume, sperm production and long-term need of testosterone substitution were evaluated among 106 male survivors transplanted at Huddinge and Helsinki University Hospitals from 1978 through 2000, at a mean age of 8 ± 4.