Cardiac Segmental Strain Analysis in Pediatric Left Ventricular Noncompaction Cardiomyopathy

Left ventricular noncompaction cardiomyopathy (LVNC) is characterized by prominent left ventricular trabeculations, often leading to myocardial dysfunction and death or heart transplantation. Although diagnostic echocardiographic criteria exist for LVNC, segmental speckle-tracking strain patterns have not been described in pediatric LVNC. The objectives of this study were to characterize segmental noncompaction, evaluate segmental speckle-tracking strain, and characterize peak strain values in children with LVNC with adverse clinical outcomes.

Echocardiographic noncompaction/compaction ratios and segmental radial, circumferential, and longitudinal strain were measured retrospectively in children with LVNC (January 2000 to June 2013). Segmental strain of the cohort was compared with that in control subjects matched by age and body surface area.

One hundred one pediatric patients with LVNC were included (median age 2.8 years; range, 0-19.4 years); 71 patients survived (benign group) and 30 patients did not survive or required heart transplantation (adverse group). The adverse group was younger at diagnosis (P = .03), with lower ejection fractions (P < .0001) compared with the benign group. Both groups demonstrated increased noncompaction/compaction ratios within apical segments, with significantly increased involvement in antero- and inferolateral midpapillary segments in the adverse group (P < .005). Radial, circumferential, and longitudinal strain of nearly all left ventricular segments were significantly decreased in the adverse compared with the benign group and in pediatric LVNC patients compared with control subjects. Global radial (7.4 ± 9.7% vs 19.6 ± 16.5%, P < .0001), circumferential (-8.4 ± 7.0% vs -18.9 ± 6.9%, P < .0001), and longitudinal (-7.1 ± 5.2% vs -11.8 ± 5.3%, P < .0001) strain were all significantly decreased in the adverse group compared with the benign group.

Segmental radial, circumferential, and longitudinal strain are decreased in pediatric patients with LVNC compared with control subjects and lowest in those with adverse compared with benign outcomes. LVNC appears to be a global disease affecting deformation in all regions, including compacted myocardial segments.