Changes in blood biomarkers correlate with changes in cardiac size and function in patients with tetralogy of Fallot.

Introduction: Patients after surgical correction of Tetralogy of Fallot (ToF) often show adverse cardiac remodeling. To better understand the underlying biological processes, we studied the relation between changes in blood biomarkers and changes in biventricular size and function as assessed by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR).

Methods: This study included 50 ToF patients, who underwent blood biomarker and CMR analysis at least twice between 2002 and 2018.

Cardiac dysfunction during exercise in young adults with bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

Background: Worldwide, 1-2% of children are born premature and at risk for developing bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). Preterm-born adults are at risk for early cardiovascular disease. The role of BPD is unclear.

The right ventricle in tetralogy of Fallot: adaptation to sequential loading.

Right ventricular dysfunction is a major determinant of outcome in patients with complex congenital heart disease, as in tetralogy of Fallot. In these patients, right ventricular dysfunction emerges after initial pressure overload and hypoxemia, which is followed by chronic volume overload due to pulmonary regurgitation after corrective surgery. Myocardial adaptation and the transition to right ventricular failure remain poorly understood.

Multivendor Evaluation of Automated MRI Postprocessing of Biventricular Size and Function for Children With and Without Congenital Heart Defects.

Background: Manually segmenting cardiac structures is time-consuming and produces variability in MRI assessments. Automated segmentation could solve this. However, current software is developed for adults without congenital heart defects (CHD).

Exercise capacity in a cohort of children with congenital heart disease.

In patients with congenital heart disease (CHD), reduced exercise capacity can be a predictor for late complications and may be used to guide interventions. Yet, the interpretation of exercise capacity is challenged by changes in body composition during growth. Our aim was to create an overview of disease-specific exercise capacity in children with CHD.

Associations between blood biomarkers, cardiac function and adverse outcome in a young tetralogy of Fallot cohort.

Background: To determine the potential prognostic value and clinical correlations of blood biomarkers in a cohort of patients with Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF).

Methods: In the setting of multicenter prospective research studies TOF patients underwent blood sampling, cardiopulmonary exercise testing and low-dose dobutamine stress cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging. In the blood sample NT-proBNP, GDF-15, Galectin-3, ST-2, DLK-1, FABP4, IGFBP-1, IGFBP-7, MMP-2, and vWF were assessed.

Ethnic differences in childhood right and left cardiac structure and function assessed by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging.

Ethnic differences in cardiovascular risk factors and disease are well-known and may originate in early-life. We examined the ethnic differences in cardiac structure and function in children using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in a European migrant population, and whether any difference was explained by early life factors. We used a prospective population-based cohort study among 2317 children in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.