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[Changes in the coronary arteries in Kawasaki disease: echocardiographic aspects]
Insights
Coronary artery anomalies are common in children with Kawasaki disease (KD). Echocardiography revealed these issues in over half of patients, with many anomalies persisting long-term.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Echocardiography
- Kawasaki Disease
Background:
- Kawasaki disease (KD) is a significant cause of acquired heart disease in children.
- Coronary artery abnormalities are a major complication of KD, potentially leading to serious cardiovascular events.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the incidence and characteristics of coronary anomalies in children diagnosed with Kawasaki disease.
- To assess the utility of two-dimensional echocardiography in detecting and monitoring these anomalies.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 44 children with Kawasaki disease underwent serial two-dimensional echocardiography.
- Studies were conducted between July 1984 and December 1988 in a pediatric cardiology setting.
- Patient data included age, sex, and echocardiographic findings over a mean follow-up period of 8.4 months.
Main Results:
- Coronary artery anomalies were identified in 13 (52%) of the 44 children studied.
- Dilatation was observed in 11 (25%) and aneurysms in 12 (27%) cases.
- Anomalies persisted in 56.6% of cases at follow-up, while 43.4% showed normalization.
Conclusions:
- Coronary artery anomalies are a frequent complication of Kawasaki disease in children.
- Two-dimensional echocardiography is an effective imaging modality for the diagnosis and follow-up of coronary anomalies in KD patients.
- A significant proportion of coronary anomalies in KD patients remain evident at medium-term follow-up.
Objective:
Evaluation of coronary anomalies in children with Kawasaki disease (KD) by two-dimensional echocardiography.
Setting:
Outpatient and Laboratory of Echocardiography in the Pediatric Cardiology Department of Santa Marta Hospital.
Patients:
Forty four children (M/F = 1.7/1) with a mean age of 2 years and 8 months (range from 2 months to 8 years) underwent Outpatient and serial echocardiographic study from July 1984 to December 1988.
Results:
Coronary artery anomalies were demonstrated in 13 (52%) of 44 children; 11 (25%) had uniform dilatation and 12 (27%) had aneurysms. These anomalies were never observed before the first week of illness. During a mean follow-up of 8.4 months, we have observed normalization of coronary arteries lumen, in 10 (43.4%) of the 23 cases. The anomalies remained in 13 (56.6%).
Conclusions:
Coronary artery anomalies are a frequent complication of KD. In about 50% of patients, coronary artery anomalies remained in a mean follow-up of 8 months. Two-dimensional echocardiography is a good method to study coronary anomalies in KD.