Cardiac abnormalities in children with sickle cell anemia.

The cardiac status of 64 children (ages 0.2 to 18 yr) with sickle cell anemia documented by hemoglobin electrophoresis was evaluated by echocardiography. Left atrial, left ventricular and aortic root dimensions were significantly increased in over 60 percent of these children at all ages compared to values for 99 normal black (non-SCA) control subjects.

Cardiovascular effects of hypertransfusion therapy in children with sickle cell anemia.

Thirteen children, age 1.9 to 14.8 years with documented sickle cell disease, underwent echocardiographic assessment of cardiac status while on and off periodic hypertransfusion therapy (HTX).

M-mode echocardiography in normal children and adolescents: some new perspectives.

Normal M-mode echocardiography values were determined using computer-assisted measurements of echocardiograms (ECHO) in 202 children and young adults 25 days to 23 years of age: 77 were female, and 125 were male and, reflecting the population served by our Center, 99 were black and 103 were white children. The values for left and right heart wall thicknesses and chamber sizes were graphically displayed as a function of body surface area, and with an illustration of the regression line and 2 standard deviation (SD) range of normal for each parameter. In addition, normal ECHO predicting equations for dimension and function parameters were derived using multiple linear regression analysis with age, height, weight, sex, race, and heart rate as independent variables.

Estimation of circumferential fiber shortening velocity by echocardiography.

The M-mode and two-dimensional echocardiograms of 40 young patients were analyzed to compare the mean circumferential fiber shortening velocity (Vcf) of the left ventricle calculated separately by two methods. The mean circumferential fiber shortening velocity was derived from the M-mode echocardiogram as minor axis shortening/ejection time and derived from the two-dimensional echocardiogram as actual circumference change/ejection time. With computer assistance, circumference was determined from the short-axis two-dimensional echocardiographic images during end-diastole and end-systole.

Cardiac status in juvenile borderline hypertension.

A prospective M-mode echocardiographic study was done to look for early cardiovascular changes in children prone to hypertension with blood pressures between the 75th and 95th percentiles for age. Average systolic/diastolic pressures in 27 children with borderline hypertension were 137/89 mm Hg compared to 110/68 mm Hg for the 26 controls. Echocardiographic measurements were normalized for comparison using two methods.