Echocardiographic assessment of left and right ventricular diastolic functions in children with dilated cardiomyopathy.

We evaluated left and right ventricular diastolic functions by pulsed Doppler echocardiography in 16 children with dilated cardiomyopathy and in 20 healthy age-matched control subjects. The cardiomyopathy group demonstrated an abnormal relaxation pattern of the left ventricle. In the cardiomyopathy group compared to normal subjects, peak early filling velocities (43.3 +/- 11 cm/s versus 60.4 +/- 11 cms/s, p < 0.01), the corresponding velocity-time integrals (3.3 +/- 1.4 cm versus 4.6 +/- 1.2 cm, p < 0.01) and the ratio of peak early filling velocity to late filling velocity (1.22 +/- 0.47 versus 1.49 +/- 0.23, p < 0.05) were significantly lower whereas isovolumic relaxation time was significantly longer (58.9 +/- 19.8 ms versus 49.7 +/- 8.9 ms, p < 0.05). In addition, right ventricular diastolic filling was also impaired in children with dilated cardiomyopathy. Peak early filling velocities (41 +/- 7.9 cm/s versus 47.5 +/- 8.8 cm/s, p < 0.05) and the corresponding velocity time integrals (3.0 +/- 1.0 cm versus 3.87 +/- 1.1 cm, p < 0.05) were significantly decreased, while isovolumic relaxation time was significantly increased (60.6 +/- 16.3 ms versus 52.2 +/- 12.8 ms, p < 0.05) in the cardiomyopathy group. The study suggests that abnormalities of both right and left ventricular diastolic function may occur, and should be searched for, in pediatric patients with dilated cardiomyopathy.