Li Vivian Wing-Yi, Lai Clare Tik-Man, Liu Anthony Pak-Yin, Cheuk Daniel Ka-Leung, Cheung Yiu-Fai
Department of Paediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, Queen Mary Hospital, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Department of Paediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, Queen Mary Hospital, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Ultrasound Med Biol. 2017 Sep;43(9):1897-1905. doi: 10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2017.05.017. Epub 2017 Jun 20.
We tested the hypothesis that left atrial (LA) mechanics and myocardial calibrated integrated backscatter (cIB) are altered in anthracycline-treated long-term survivors of childhood cancers. Forty-nine survivors and 25 controls were studied. Survivors had significantly smaller maximal (p = 0.009) and minimal (p = 0.017) LA volumes and lower peak negative LA strains (p = 0.011). For left ventricular (LV) indices, survivors had significantly lower shortening fraction (p < 0.001), ejection fraction (p < 0.001) and mitral annular late diastolic velocity (p = 0.003). Myocardial cIB of the LA posterior wall, ventricular septum and LV posterior wall was significantly greater in survivors than controls (all p values <0.05). Peak negative LA strain was related to late diastolic mitral annular velocity (r = 0.27, p = 0.018), whereas LA cIB was related to the average of septal and LV posterior wall cIB (r = 0.54, p < 0.001). In conclusion, LA remodeling as characterized by contractile dysfunction and increased cIB suggestive of fibrosis occurs in adult survivors of childhood cancers.
