Echocardiographic evaluation of left ventricular function in children with spinal muscular atrophy before and after nusinersen treatment.

Background: Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a genetic neuromuscular disease associated with cardiovascular abnormalities. The impact of nusinersen treatment on myocardial function in children with SMA remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate changes in left ventricular (LV) function in children with SMA before and after nusinersen treatment using echocardiography.

The alteration of left ventricular strain in later-onset spinal muscular atrophy children.

Background: Patients with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) may suffer from multisystem injury, including an impaired cardiovascular system. However, M-mode echocardiography, the current dominant echocardiographic modality, is limited in the detection of myocardial injury. We considered the use of left ventricular strain imaging in detecting myocardial injury and explored the serum lipid profile related to cardiovascular disease in later-onset SMA children.

Fluid-Structure Interaction Model for Predicting Surgical Result of Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Connection and Estimating Pulmonary Venous Properties.

Objectives: To build a fluid-structure interaction model of pulmonary veins with total anomalous pulmonary venous connection, which can be used to predict the result of surgical treatment and at the same time to estimate the elastic properties of pulmonary veins based on patient-specific data and clinic postoperative results.

Methods: The fluid-structure interaction (FSI) model was used to simulate the anastomosis on pulmonary veins based on computed tomography angiography data collected from three children with total anomalous pulmonary venous connection (TAPVC), supra-cardiac type. The deformation and the stress of anastomosis, and also the velocity of blood flow were calculated in fluid-structure coupling algorithm.