Carotid artery intima-media thickness and stiffness index β changes in normal children: role of age, height and sex.

Aims: The need for early markers of atherosclerosis in paediatric ages has been emphasized recently. Few data are available on the behaviour of carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) and arterial stiffness in normal children.

Methods: We studied prospectively 131 healthy children (78 boys), aged 3-16 years, by high-definition ultrasonography and echo-tracking technique in order to evaluate cIMT and stiffness index β.

Cryoablation of typical atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia in children: six years' experience and follow-up in a single center.

Background: Cryoablation is an effective and safe treatment for children with supraventricular tachycardias when the reentry circuit is located near the atrioventricular (AV) junction. We retrospectively reviewed consecutive cryoablation procedures for the treatment of atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT) in children and young adults in a single pediatric center.

Methods: From October 2002 to October 2008, cryoablation was attempted in 76 pediatric patients (mean age 11.

'Time to effect' during cryomapping: a parameter related to the long-term success of accessory pathways cryoablation in children.

Aims: Cryoablation is an effective treatment for children with an accessory pathway (AP). Nevertheless, AP may recur after a successful procedure. The aim of this study was to identify the factors predictive of AP recurrence.