Use of Speckle Tracking Echocardiography to Assess Left Ventricular Systolic Function in Patients with Surgically Repaired Tetralogy of Fallot: Global and Segmental Assessment.

Patients with repaired Tetralogy of Fallot (rToF) can have significant right and left ventricular dysfunction which can impact clinical outcome. Conventional echocardiographic evaluation using ejection fraction can be limited in detecting early stages of deteriorating left ventricular (LV) systolic function. Speckle-tracking echocardiography (STE) provides a promising emerging tool for early detection of LV systolic dysfunction.

Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome with Congenital Complete Heart Block.

Congenital complete atrioventricular block (CCAVB) is a rare condition with an incidence of 1 of 20,000 live births. Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) occurs more frequently than CCAVB and occurs in 1 of 5000 live births. HLHS in association with CCAVB is exceedingly rare.

Coronary Sinus Defect Following Transcatheter Closure of ASD Using Amplatzer Septal Occluder: Potential Erosion by the Device.

We present a case of small coronary sinus defect detected after transcatheter device closure of a large secundum atrial septal defect. Although device erosion of the dilated coronary sinus is suspected, the defect in the coronary sinus may have been present prior to ASD device closure. Dilated coronary sinus may be a risk factor when closing a secundum ASD with a device.

The Use of Speckle Tracking Echocardiography for Early Detection of Myocardial Dysfunction in Patients with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Cardiac complications are the leading cause of death in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Two-dimensional echocardiography is the current standard for monitoring of LV systolic function in these patients, but it might not detect early systolic dysfunction. The current study examined the use of speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) to detect early signs of cardiac dysfunction in DMD patients.