Children with refractory epilepsy demonstrate alterations in myocardial strain.

Objective: To test whether children with epilepsy have impairments in myocardial mechanics compared to controls without epilepsy.

Methods: Children with refractory epilepsy with epilepsy duration of at least 3 years underwent echocardiography including conventional measurements and speckle tracking to assess longitudinal and circumferential strain. Parent-completed surveys, capturing critical aspects of the children's seizure history and cardiac risk factors, complemented retrospective chart reviews, which also included antiepileptic drug history.