Non-invasive detection of acute allograft rejection in children by tissue Doppler imaging: myocardial velocities and myocardial acceleration during isovolumic contraction.

Background: In adults, an acute decrease of regional myocardial velocities is a sensitive marker of rejection. In children, velocities are more variable. A new marker, myocardial acceleration during isovolumic contraction (IVA), appears to be less age-dependent than myocardial velocities.

Double-orifice mitral valve with intact atrioventricular septum: an echocardiographic study with anatomic and functional considerations.

We identified 18 patients with double-orifice mitral valve (DOMV) and intact atrioventricular (AV) septum out of 40,179 echocardiographic studies performed between 1997 and 2002 at Children's Hospital, Denver, CO. In this study we describe (1) the anatomic characteristics of the DOMV in the absence of AV septal defect, (2) the function of the mitral valve by spectral and color Doppler flow mapping, and (3) associated lesions. The topographic location of the orifices in the leaflets suggests possible embryologic mechanisms of DOMV.

Hypertension in mice lacking the proatrial natriuretic peptide convertase corin.

Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) is a cardiac hormone that regulates blood pressure. In cardiomyocytes, the hormone is synthesized as a precursor, proatrial natriuretic peptide (pro-ANP), which is proteolytically converted to active ANP. Corin is a cardiac transmembrane serine protease that has been shown to process pro-ANP in vitro, but its physiological importance had not been established.

Mixed total anomalous pulmonary venous connection: Case report with bilateral venous collectors.

We present a case report of a 3-month-old boy with a mixed total anomalous pulmonary venous connection. The patient had situs solitus, small atrial septal defect, and 2 separate venous collectors. The right pulmonary veins drained through a right-sided venous collector into the coronary sinus.

Longitudinal motion of the atrioventricular annuli in children: reference values, growth related changes, and effects of right ventricular volume and pressure overload.

The goals of this study were to characterize normal patterns of longitudinal motion of atrioventricular annuli in the young, establish reference values and assess growth-related changes (n = 40). Sensitivity to changes in right ventricular volume and pressure load was assessed in patients with atrial septal defect (ASD) (n = 25) and with primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH) (n = 20). M-mode of the annuli were obtained from apical views.