Myocardial Assessment in School-Aged Children with Past Kawasaki Disease

Coronary artery involvement remains the most important complication with Kawasaki disease (KD). Additional myocardial injury can be caused by inflammatory response and ischemic event. However, the long-term outcome of myocardial function has not been fully known in KD. The purpose of this study is to evaluate myocardial function in school-aged children who had the past history of KD. Sixty-seven children in the second grade of elementary schools, who had the past history of KD, were included. Echocardiographic measurements of each coronary artery and myocardial function were obtained as the long-term follow-up data, and compared with the baseline data at the time of initial presentation of KD. The mean age of the subjects was 8.6 +/- 2.4 years, and 4.3 +/- 3.4 years have passed since the diagnosis of KD. Among the echocardiographic data, interventricular septum thickness at end-diastole (IVSd), LV internal diameters at end-systole (LVIDs), maximal velocity of late diastolic filling across mitral valve (mitral A) flow, maximal velocity of early diastolic filling across mitral valve (mitral E)/A ratio, mitral inflow E wave to peak early diastolic tissue velocity (E/E') ratio showed significant differences between the baseline and follow-up measurements. Coronary Z-score of left main artery (LMA), left anterior descending (LAD), and right coronary artery (RCA) showed no significant difference. The school-aged children with the past history of KD may have diastolic dysfunction. Therefore, appropriate assessment of myocardial function would be recommended during the follow-up period in children with KD.