Assessment of diastolic function in children: The dilemma and potential solution

Title : Assessment of diastolic function in children: The dilemma and potential solution

Abstract:

Left ventricular(LV) is characterized by LV relaxation, early diastolic recoil, and myocardial stiffness.LV diastolic dysfunction usually results from impaired LV relaxation with or without reduced restoring forces (and early diastolic suction) and increased LV chamber stiffness resulting in increased cardiac filling pressure. The abnormal diastolic function has been recognized in many cardiovascular diseases and is associated with worse outcomes, including total mortality and hospitalizations due to heart failure. Therefore, accurate assessment of LV diastolic function is crucial as it determines symptoms and predicts outcomes in patients with cardiovascular disease. Unfortunately, despite the multitude of available indices, assessment of diastolic dysfunction remains a challenging area in pediatric cardiology. Studies on the interpretation of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in children with cardiomyopathy found that adult ASE/EACVI criteria may not be applicable in detecting abnormal diastolic function in the pediatric population. Current advancements in echocardiographic techniques have provided more significant insights on diastolic function assessment beyond traditional measures. This presentation will discuss the dilemma in evaluating diastolic function in children and the potential solution.

Biography:

Work as a Senior Pediatric lecturer and Pediatric Cardiologist. She did her training in Pediatric Cardiology at National Heart Institute of Malaysia (IJN) and in the world-renowned, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), United States. While in CHOP, she had the opportunity to learn on fetal echocardiography and to do research on Left ventricular mechanics and strain in children with Left Ventricular Non-Compaction and Dilated Cardiomyopathy using speckle tracking echocardiography. She presented the best poster presentation at the American college of cardiology conference in Jeddah. She won a travel grant to attend the American college of cardiology conference in Washington DC. Currently, her main interest is on fetal echocardiography to provide an antenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease.

Other interest areas are pediatric cardiac imaging, pediatric cardiac intensive care and cardiomyopathy.