Heart size on chest x-ray as a predictor of cardiac enlargement by echocardiography in children

A Performance-Based Competency Assessment of Pediatric Chest Radiograph Interpretation Among Practicing Physicians

INTRODUCTION

There is limited knowledge on pediatric chest radiograph (pCXR) interpretation skill among practicing physicians. We systematically determined baseline interpretation skill, the number of pCXR cases physicians required complete to achieve a performance benchmark, and which diagnoses posed the greatest diagnostic challenge.

METHODS

Physicians interpreted 434 pCXR cases via a web-based platform until they achieved a performance benchmark of 85% accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity. Interpretation difficulty scores for each case were derived by applying one-parameter item response theory to participant data. We compared interpretation difficulty scores across diagnostic categories and described the diagnoses of the 30% most difficult-to-interpret cases.

RESULTS

240 physicians who practice in one of three geographic areas interpreted cases, yielding 56,833 pCXR case interpretations. The initial diagnostic performance (first 50 cases) of our participants demonstrated an accuracy of 68.9%, sensitivity of 69.4%, and a specificity of 68.4%. The median number of cases completed to achieve the performance benchmark was 102 (interquartile range 69, 176; min, max, 54, 431). Among the 30% most difficult-to-interpret cases, 39.2% were normal pCXR and 32.3% were cases of lobar pneumonia. Cases with a single trauma-related imaging finding, cardiac, hilar, and diaphragmatic pathologies were also among the most challenging.

DISCUSSION

At baseline, practicing physicians misdiagnosed about one-third of pCXR and there was up to an eight-fold difference between participants in number of cases completed to achieve the standardized performance benchmark. We also identified the diagnoses with the greatest potential for educational intervention.

Case Report: First Case of Non-restrictive Ventricular Septal Defect With Congestive Heart Failure in a Chinese Han Male Infant Carrying a Class II Chromosome 17p13.3 Microduplication

Chromosome 17p13.3 microduplication syndrome is considered a multisystem disorder that results in a wide variety of clinical manifestations including dysmorphic facial characteristics, brain structural malformations, developmental restriction, growth restriction, and neurocognitive disorders. The two major classes of chromosome 17p13.3 microduplication, which have different clinical presentations, are associated with specific genetic regions. Among the various known phenotypes, scattered cases with congenital heart disease (CHD) have been reported for both classes of chromosome 17p13.3 microduplication syndrome. Unfortunately, there is insufficient understanding of the correlation between chromosome anomaly induced alterations in gene expression and aberrant cardiac development, and thus early diagnosis of CHD among patients with chromosome 17p13.3 microduplication is difficult without routine prenatal cardiac assessment. One such congenital heart anomalies known to affect a substantial number of newborns worldwide is ventricular septal defect (VSD), which has been found in 17p13.3 microduplication carriers, and seems to sometimes undergo spontaneous closure. We report an unprecedented case of moderate sized perimembranous-outlet VSD and congestive heart failure (CHF) in a Chinese Han male infant with a class II chromosome 17p13.3 microduplication. Despite the fact that cytogenic testing and fetal echocardiography confirmed a 249-Kb chromosome duplication within 17p13.3 that encompassed the PAFAH1B1 gene and showed the presence of VSD during prenatal period, this patient still developed a range of symptoms including sustained prolonged feeding, dyspnea, diaphoresis and retarded growth. A physical examination indicated hepatomegaly and a grade III/VI pan-systolic murmur along the left upper sternal border. Laboratory testing showed a high serum pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (pro-BNP). Imaging studies revealed cardiomegaly and a persistent VSD with related pulmonary stenosis. Since the clinical findings were compatible with CHF, we provided mainline treatment with digoxin, captopril, and furosemide, as well as fluid restriction. Despite sustained poor weight gain, the feeding behavior and the respiratory conditions of the patient improved gradually. This case report and literature review suggest that patients carrying chromosome 17p13.3 microduplication who have VSD may have an increased risk of developing CHF as young infants and hence a comprehensive cardiac evaluation is warranted to allow the early diagnosis and management of any severe heart anomalies.

Shear Stress Causing Hemolytic Anemia and Congestive Heart Failure as an Initial Presentation of Cor Triatriatum in an Infant

Among congenital cardiac defects, cor triatriatum sinistrum is a rare formation of 3 distinct atrial chambers in the heart. Depending on the size of the defect in the membranous septum, the symptoms can range from asymptomatic to severe pulmonary hypertension. Individuals can go years, sometimes to the second and third decades of life, before presenting with symptoms. Although it is well known to be associated with pulmonary veno-occlusive disease, the association with hemolytic anemia is much less well known. Identifying the subtle signs and symptoms of cor triatriatum in the emergency department can save a life. Here, we present the case of a 6-month-old infant with hemolytic anemia in the setting of right-sided congestive heart failure leading to the diagnosis of cor triatriatum. Anemia developed secondary to shearing stress caused by the heart defect itself. Complete resolution of symptoms occurred status post septectomy and repair of the defect.

Advanced Heart Failure in Special Population-Pediatric Age

Heart failure (HF) is an important health care issue in children because of its considerable morbidity and mortality. Advanced HF encompasses patients who remained symptomatic despite optimal medical treatment and includes patients who require special management, such as continuous inotropic therapy, mechanical circulatory support, or heart transplantation (HT). HT is the gold standard for children with advanced HF; nonetheless, the number of suitable donors has not increased for decades, leading to prolonged waitlist times and increased mortality rates. Therefore, the role of pediatric mechanic circulatory support has been assessed as an alternative treatment in patients in whom heart transplant could not be performed. The authors discuss the epidemiology, causes, pathophysiology, clinical manifestation, medical treatment, device therapy, and HT in pediatric HF, and a particular emphasis was posed on patients with advanced HF.

Interpretation of cardiac chamber size on canine thoracic radiographs is limited and may result in the false identification of right-sided cardiomegaly in the presence of severe left-sided cardiomegaly

Qualitative assessment of individual cardiac chamber enlargement on thoracic radiographs was assessed using echocardiography as the gold standard in dogs. Using this method, the presence of severe left-sided cardiomegaly was hypothesized to contribute to the false identification of right-sided cardiomegaly on radiographs. 175 dogs with three-view thoracic radiographs were retrospectively included in this diagnostic accuracy study if echocardiography was done within 24 h, and no rescue therapy was provided in the interim. All radiographic studies were reviewed by two groups of five board-certified veterinary radiologists with greater and less than 10 years of experience for grading of cardiac chamber enlargement as normal or mildly, moderately, or severely enlarged. The agreement, sensitivity, and specificity of the radiologists' interpretation of cardiac chamber size on thoracic radiographs to measured echocardiographic grades were evaluated. A total of 147 cases had complete echocardiographic data available for analysis. Intragroup agreement was moderate for the evaluation of left atrial enlargement and slight to fair for all other cardiac chambers. Between the mode of the radiologists' responses in the two groups and the echocardiographic grades, there was slight agreement for all cardiac chambers with higher severity grades reported using echocardiography. When moderate to severe left-sided cardiomegaly was identified on echocardiography, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of radiographs were low, identifying dogs with radiographic evidence of right-sided cardiomegaly in the absence of corresponding right-sided cardiomegaly on echocardiography. Therefore, thoracic radiographs should be used with caution for the evaluation of cardiac chamber enlargement, particularly in the presence of severe left-sided cardiomegaly.

Cardiomegaly on chest radiographs as a predictor of heart disease in the pediatric population

BACKGROUND

Cardiomegaly on chest radiographs (CXR) in pediatric patients leads to multiple tests. We aimed to determine the positive predictive value (PPV) of cardiomegaly on CXR in predicting subsequent heart disease and to assess the utility of obtaining a B-type Natriuretic Peptide level (BNP) and/or electrocardiogram (EKG) in such patients. We hypothesized that an echocardiogram may not be appropriate in all cases of cardiomegaly on CXR, particularly in a patient with a normal EKG and BNP level.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective cohort study of pediatric patients with cardiomegaly on their initial CXR between January 2015-December 2017. Patients without a subsequent echocardiogram or known congenital heart disease were excluded. A patient was deemed to have heart disease if they had structural abnormalities, functional abnormalities or a pericardial effusion on echocardiogram. The PPV of CXR and the PPV/NPV of the other tests (EKG, BNP) were calculated using contingency tables.

RESULTS

Four hundred and eighty nine patients met inclusion criteria. The PPV of cardiomegaly on CXR alone without any other diagnostic testing in predicting subsequent heart disease was 15%. The PPV increased if there was either an abnormal EKG or a BNP >100 pg/ml and further increased if both of these were present. The PPV values were higher in patients <1 year of age.

CONCLUSIONS

Cardiomegaly on CXR can often predict the presence of heart disease, particularly in infants. Further testing with EKG and BNP can better predict who may have heart disease, but it may not eliminate the need for echocardiography.

A Fortified Method to Screen and Detect Left Ventricular Hypertrophy in Asymptomatic Hypertensive Adults: A Korean Retrospective, Cross-Sectional Study

Purpose

Left ventricular (LV) mass is determined by the wall thickness and diameter. LV hypertrophy (LVH), the increase in LV mass, is usually screened with electrocardiography but is often insensitive. We tried to fortify the rule to detect LVH using cardiothoracic ratio (CTR) in chest X-ray and well-known risk factors besides electrocardiography.

Materials and Methods

This retrospective cross-sectional study included asymptomatic hypertensive individuals aged ≥40 y who underwent voluntary checkups including echocardiography. Independent variables to explain LVH (LV mass index>115 g/m² for men and >95 g/m² for women calculated on echocardiography) were chosen among Sokolow-Lyon voltage amplitude (SLVA), CTR and cardiovascular risk factors by multiple logistic regression analysis. The diagnostic rule to detect LVH was made by summing up the rounded-off odds ratio of each independent variable and was validated using bootstrapping method.

Results

Among the 789 cases enrolled (202 females (25.6%), mean age 59.6±8.8 y), 168 (21.3%) had LVH. The diagnostic rule summed female, age≥65 y, BMI≥25 kg/m², SLVA≥35 mm, and CTR≥0.50 (scoring 1 per each). Its c-statistics was 0.700 (95% CI: 0.653, 0.747), significantly higher (p<0.001) than that of SLVA≥35 mm, 0.522 (95% CI: 0.472, 0.572). The sensitivity and specificity of the model were 61.9% and 72.1% for score≥2 and 30.4% and 92.9% for score≥3. The SLVA≥35 mm criteria showed sensitivity of 12.5% and specificity of 91.9%.

Conclusions

The rule to sum up the number of the risk factors of female, age≥65 y, BMI≥25 kg/m², SLVA≥35 mm, and CTR≥0.50 may be a better diagnostic tool for screening LVH, than the electrocardiography-only criteria, at the score≥2.

Initial presentation and management of pediatric heart failure

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Heart failure is a rare but morbid diagnosis in the pediatric patient presenting to the emergency department (ED). Familiarity of the ED physician with the presentation, work-up, and management of pediatric heart failure is essential as accurate diagnosis is reliant on a high degree of suspicion.

RECENT FINDINGS

Studies evaluating pediatric heart failure are limited by its rarity and the heterogeneity of underlying conditions. However, recent reports have provided new data on the epidemiology, presentation, and outcomes of children with heart failure.

SUMMARY

The recent studies reviewed here highlight the significant diagnostic and management challenges that pediatric heart failure presents given the variety and lack of specificity of its presenting signs, symptoms, and diagnostic work-up. This review provides the ED physician with a framework for understanding of pediatric heart failure to allow for efficient diagnosis and management of these patients. The primary focus of this review is heart failure in structurally normal hearts.

Heart failure in dilated cardiomyopathy mimicking asthma triggered by pneumonia

Heart failure is a rare cause of wheezing and may develop into a critical condition in children. Few cases report patients with heart failure, secondary to dilated cardiomyopathy, with high fever. A 23-month-old girl visited the emergency department with high fever, cough, first wheezing episode, chest retraction and tachycardia. The chest X-ray revealed consolidation on the left lower lung field; the cardiothoracic ratio was 60%. She was diagnosed with bronchial asthma triggered by pneumonia, which remained unchanged during four visits. Subsequently, she was diagnosed with heart failure in idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy and discharged without sequelae. During the first wheezing episode in children with abnormal vital signs, heart failure should be considered in the differential diagnosis, and a chest X-ray should be performed. Additionally, when the cardiothoracic ratio is greater than 50%, 12-lead ECG and echocardiography should be performed. Moreover, cognitive bias should be considered in all emergency care unit situations.

Pediatric Heart Failure: A Practical Guide to Diagnosis and Management

Pediatric heart failure represents an important cause of morbidity and mortality in childhood. Currently, there are well-established guidelines for the management of heart failure in the adult population, but an equivalent consensus in children is lacking. In the clinical setting, ensuring an accurate diagnosis and defining etiology is essential to optimal treatment. Diuretics and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition are the first-line therapies, whereas beta-blockers and devices for electric therapy are less used in children than in adults. In the end-stage disease, heart transplantation is the best choice of treatment, while a left ventricular assist device can be used as a bridge to transplantation (due to the difficulties in finding organ donors), recovery (in the case of myocarditis), or destination therapy (for patients with systemic disease).

Heart Failure in Children

Heart failure (HF) in children differs from that in adults in many respects. The causes and clinical presentations may differ considerably among children of different age groups and between children and adults. The time of onset of HF holds the key to the etiological diagnosis. Clinical presentation of HF in younger children can be nonspecific requiring heightened degree of suspicion. The overall outcome with HF is better in children than in adults as HF in children is commonly due to structural heart disease and reversible conditions which are amenable to therapy. The principles of management include treatment of the cause, correction of any precipitating event, and treatment of systemic or pulmonary congestion. Though HF in adults has been the subject of extensive research and generation of evidence-based guidelines, there is a scarcity of evidence base in pediatric HF.

Cardiothoracic ratio for prediction of left ventricular dilation: a systematic review and pooled analysis

ABSTRACT 

Increased cardiothoracic ratio noted on chest radiographs often prompts concern and further evaluation with additional imaging. This study pools available data assessing the utility of cardiothoracic ratio in predicting left ventricular dilation. A systematic review of the literature was conducted to identify studies comparing cardiothoracic ratio by chest x-ray to left ventricular dilation by echocardiography. Electronic databases were used to identify studies which were then assessed for quality and bias, with those with adequate quality and minimal bias ultimately being included in the pooled analysis. The pooled data were used to determine the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of cardiomegaly in predicting left ventricular dilation. A total of six studies consisting of 466 patients were included in this analysis. Cardiothoracic ratio had 83.3% sensitivity, 45.4% specificity, 43.5% positive predictive value and 82.7% negative predictive value. When a secondary analysis was conducted with a pediatric study excluded, a total of five studies consisting of 371 patients were included. Cardiothoracic ratio had 86.2% sensitivity, 25.2% specificity, 42.5% positive predictive value and 74.0% negative predictive value. Cardiothoracic ratio as determined by chest radiograph is sensitive but not specific for identifying left ventricular dilation. Cardiothoracic ratio also has a strong negative predictive value for identifying left ventricular dilation.

Presentation, diagnosis, and medical management of heart failure in children: Canadian Cardiovascular Society guidelines

Pediatric heart failure (HF) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in childhood. This article presents guidelines for the recognition, diagnosis, and early medical management of HF in infancy, childhood, and adolescence. The guidelines are intended to assist practitioners in office-based or emergency room practice, who encounter children with undiagnosed heart disease and symptoms of possible HF, rather than those who have already received surgical palliation. The guidelines have been developed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology, and are accompanied by practical Recommendations for their application in the clinical setting, supplemented by online material. This work does not include Recommendations for advanced management involving ventricular assist devices, or other device therapies.

Reader performance in radiographic diagnosis of signs of mitral regurgitation in cavalier King Charles spaniels

OBJECTIVES

To measure accuracy and variability of diagnosis by radiography of heart enlargement (HE) and heart failure (HF) in mitral regurgitation (MR).

METHODS

Sixteen readers representing four levels of experience evaluated 50 sets of radiographs with varying severity of MR for presence or absence of HE, left atrial enlargement (LAE) and HF. The performance of the readers was compared with a reference standard, using area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. The interreader agreement value kappa (K) was calculated. A subset of difficult cases of HF was analysed before and after removing an outlying reader from each group.

RESULTS

AUC for HE was 0.89, for LAE it was 0.93 and for HF it was 0.92. Experience increased certainty of diagnosis but not accuracy. K ranges were HE, 0.53 to 0.67; LAE, 0.61 to 0.69 and HF, 0.49 to 0.58. When only difficult cases of HF were read, accuracy decreased and experienced readers performed better than inexperienced. When outlying readers were excluded, the differences between experienced and inexperienced readers increased.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE

LAE, not HE, should be used to evaluate the heart size and indirectly the severity of MR on radiographs. For HF, agreement among individual readers was only moderate. Studies of reader accuracy should consider the effects of interreader variability.

Accuracy of plasma B-type natriuretic peptide to diagnose significant cardiovascular disease in children: the Better Not Pout Children! Study

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study was to assess the ability of plasma B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) to diagnose significant cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the pediatric population.

BACKGROUND

BNP has been shown to be reliable in detecting ventricular dysfunction and heart failure in adults. Timely and accurate identification of significant pediatric heart disease is important but challenging. A simple blood test could aid the front-line physician in this task.

METHODS

Subjects without a history of heart disease with findings possibly attributable to significant CVD in the acute care setting requiring a cardiology consult were enrolled. Clinicians were blinded to the BNP result, and confirmation of disease was made by cardiology consultation.

RESULTS

Subjects were divided into a neonatal (n = 42, 0 to 7 days) and older age group (n = 58, >7 days to 19 years). CVD was present in 74% of neonates and 53% of the older age group. In neonates with disease, median BNP was 526 pg/ml versus 96 pg/ml (p < 0.001) for those without disease. In older children with disease, median BNP was 122 pg/ml versus 22 pg/ml in those without disease (p < 0.001). Subjects with disease from an anatomic defect, a longer hospital stay, or who died had higher BNP. A BNP of 170 pg/ml yielded a sensitivity of 94% and specificity of 73% in the neonatal group and 87% and 70% in the older age group, respectively, using a BNP of 41 pg/ml.

CONCLUSIONS

BNP is a reliable test to diagnose significant structural or functional CVD in children. Optimal cutoff values are different from adult values.

Chest radiography and the evaluation of the neonate for congenital heart disease

We assessed the utility of the chest film as a screening tool for term and preterm neonates with suspected structural heart disease. Three independent observers, blinded to patient diagnosis, retrospectively evaluated the initial chest film for each of 128 consecutive neonates with suspected heart disease (gestational age, 23-42 weeks; birth weight, 500-4,621 g) who had undergone both chest radiography and echocardiography. These evaluations were subsequently compared with the results of the respective echocardiograms, read by board-certified pediatric cardiologists blinded to the chest film and chest film interpretation. Kappa statistics demonstrated moderate correlation (0.42-0.48) among different observers in their interpretation of the chest films but poor correlation (0.15-0.34) between chest radiography and echocardiography. The chest film had a low sensitivity for structural heart disease (26-59%), with a negative predictive value of 46-52%. Among neonates less than 2 kg or younger than 35 weeks of gestation, the chest film had still lower sensitivity for detecting heart disease. Despite agreement among observers in chest film interpretation, the chest film does not function as a screening test for neonates with suspected heart disease, particularly in small or premature neonates. In neonates with suspected heart disease, echocardiography should be considered, even in patients with chest films that do not suggest congenital heart disease.

Conditions leading to pediatric cardiology consultation in a tertiary academic hospital

OBJECTIVE

To determine the basis for cardiac consultations for pediatric patients in an academic hospital setting.

METHODS

The activities of the cardiology consultation service were tabulated for 12 months, from July 2001 to June 2002. Patients were identified from 4 sources, ie, a monthly log of patient encounters maintained by the consultation service, encounter forms submitted to the billing office, consultation notes maintained in a central file, and a departmental list of echocardiography studies. Patients who required clearance for noncardiac surgical procedures were generally evaluated in the cardiology clinic and not by the consultation service. Patient data were obtained from consultation and echocardiography reports and from hospital computer-based records for discharge summaries for inpatient admissions, emergency department encounter summaries, and laboratory reports. For each patient, consultations were tabulated as separate encounters if they occurred on different days in the emergency department, during separate admissions, or for different clinical concerns during a single admission.

RESULTS

A total of 2071 consultations were performed for 1724 patients. The age at the time of consultation was 6.6 +/- 9.3 years (median: 1.2 years; range: 1 day to 60.6 years). A total of 1507 patients (87.4%) had a single consultation; 217 patients (12.6%) had multiple encounters, ranging from 2 to 9, accounting for 564 consultations (27.2%). Clinical concerns included murmurs (18.5%), cardiac function (12.7%), arrhythmias (12.7%), intercurrent illnesses among cardiac patients (11.3%), cyanosis (6.3%), syndromes (5.7%), chest pain (5.2%), syncope/dizziness (4.5%), subacute endocarditis (4.4%), follow-up evaluations of fetal diagnoses (4.3%), Kawasaki disease (3.4%), cor pulmonale (3%), recent cardiac surgery or catheterization (1.6%), cerebrovascular accidents (1.2%), and miscellaneous conditions. Four diagnoses accounted for 91% of murmur evaluations, ie, patent ductus arteriosus, ventricular septal defects, innocent murmurs, and pulmonary branch murmur of infancy. The most common murmur diagnosis in the neonatal intensive care unit was patent ductus arteriosus (68%), in the well-child nursery was ventricular septal defect (64%), and on the medical ward was innocent murmur (62%). The most common basis for evaluation of function was oncologic disease. Among patients evaluated for function, there were 3 new diagnoses of structural congenital heart disease, all involving neonates with aortic arch obstruction. Approximately two-thirds of arrhythmias were supraventricular in origin. The most common arrhythmias requiring treatment were supraventricular tachycardia and atrial flutter/fibrillation, the latter occurring mainly among older patients with structural heart disease. Diagnoses made with fetal echocardiography accounted for 14.3% of newborn consultations and included 83% of patients with cyanotic cardiac disease. Three syndromes accounted for 57% of consultations for this indication, ie, VACTERL association (vertebral anomalies, anal atresia, congenital heart disease, tracheoesophageal fistula, renal abnormality, and limb anomalies), trisomy 21, and infant of diabetic mother. Chest pain and syncope/dizziness were frequently evaluated in the emergency department and, in this setting, accounted for 13 and 10% of all evaluations and 19 and 25% of evaluations for new patients, respectively. For patients evaluated for chest pain, the most common basis was musculoskeletal/costochondritic (42%) or idiopathic (22%). There was a cardiac or pericardial basis in 11% of cases; these patients either had known heart disease associated with this complication or systemic symptoms, abnormal cardiac auscultatory findings, and electrocardiographic features of pericarditis. Syncope/dizziness most commonly had a vasovagal (50.5%) or orthostatic (24.7%) basis. There was a cardiac basis in 5.4% of cases; these patients were more likely to have symptoms associated with exercise. Although endocarditis was a frequent clinical concern (91 patients), only 3 cases were identified, involving 2 patients with structural heart disease and 1 neonate with an indwelling intracardiac catheter. Two other patients had central venous lines, intravascular thrombus, and fungemia. Kawasaki disease was the most common acquired condition leading to consultation. Cor pulmonale was most commonly screened among patients with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, chronic lung disease of prematurity, pneumonitis, reactive airway disease, or cystic fibrosis. Patients with recent cardiac surgery or cardiac catheterization typically had postpericardiotomy syndrome or complications associated with vascular access. Approximately 20% of cases of cerebrovascular accidents had a cardiac basis.

CONCLUSIONS

Although a variety of conditions were assessed, some were encountered more frequently. Future educational curricula developed for cardiac training of pediatric residents should appropriately emphasize conditions necessitating consultation.

Cardiac complications of enterovirus rhombencephalitis

BACKGROUND

Epidemics of enterovirus 71 infection have caused the death of many children throughout the world. Rhombencephalitis, brain stem encephalitis, and heart failure were present in all of the fatal cases. However, no evidence of myocarditis was noted in the heart specimens, and the mechanism of heart failure remains unknown.

AIMS

To characterise the presentation of cardiac complications in children with enterovirus rhombencephalitis and discuss its pathogenesis.

METHODS

Ninety one consecutive patients with enterovirus rhombencephalitis underwent echocardiography. Of these, 17 patients (nine male, eight female; median age 14 months, range 4-57 months) with left ventricular dysfunction were studied.

RESULTS

Tachycardia was noted in all patients and systemic hypertension in 12. Muscle-brain fraction of creatine kinase was >5% in 14 patients. Plasma norepinephrine and epinephrine levels were significantly raised in the three patients in whom these were analysed. Electrocardiographic abnormalities were noted in eight patients. Pulmonary oedema was complicated in 15 patients. The initial ejection fraction of the left ventricle was 22-58% (mean 37%, SD 11%). All patients deteriorated to hypotensive shock within 12 hours and 13 died. Heart specimens from seven patients showed no evidence of myocarditis, but significant coagulative myocytolysis, myofibrillar degeneration, and cardiomyocyte apoptosis were observed.

CONCLUSIONS

Acute heart failure was noted in 19% of patients with enterovirus rhombencephalitis, which had a fatality rate of 77%. It was not caused by myocarditis but possibly by neurogenic cardiac damage.