Speckle tracking derived left and right ventricular strain, strain rate and left ventricular rotation in children after slow pathway ablation Çocuklarda yavaş yol ablasyonu sonrasi "Speckle tracking" ile elde edilen sol ve sağ ventriküler "strain"

Objectives: Aim of the study was to assess left and right ventricular strain, strain rate and left ventricular rotation in children at late followup after atrioventricular node slow pathway radiofrequency ablation. Materials and methods: Left and right ventricular strain, strain rate, left ventricular rotation, rotational velocity and twist were assessed using the speckle tracking echo� cardiography in 22 children who underwent radiofre� quency ablation of slow pathway and in 15 healthy con� trol children. Results: There were no significant differences in conven� tional echocardiographic left and right ventricular pa� rameters between the two groups (p>0.05), except left atrial volume (28.0±8.7 ml in control group vs. 37.3±13.9 ml in radiofrequency ablation group, p=0.024) and right atrial volume (16.0±6.7 ml vs. 21.5±8.5 ml, respectively, p=0.047) and their left (16.7±6.0 ml/m 2 vs. 26.3± 9.8 ml/m 2 , p=0.002, respectively) and right (16.0± 6.6 ml/m 2 vs. 21.5±8.5 ml/m 2 , respectively, p=0.05) indices that were significantly higher in radiofrequency ablation group. Speckle tracking imaging derived regional and global strain, systolic and diastolic left and right ventricu� lar strain rate as well as left ventricular rotation, rota� tional rate did not differ between the radiofrequency ab� lation group and controls (p>0.05). Left ventricular twist was comparable between the radiofrequency ablation group and controls (p>0.05). Conclusions: Speckle tracking echocardiography did not revealed any deterioration of regional and global axis function of the left and right ventricles in children, who underwent atrioventricular node slow pathway radiofre� quency ablation. J Clin Exp Invest 2011; 2(1): 1 -10