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Choroidal thickness changes in children with chronic heart failure due to dilated cardiomyopathy

Klaudia Rakusiewicz1, Krystyna Kanigowska2, Wojciech Hautz2

  • 1Department of Ophthalmology, Children's Memorial Health Institute, Warsaw, Poland. k.rakusiewicz@ipczd.pl.

International Ophthalmology
|May 9, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Children with chronic heart failure (CHF) due to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) exhibit thinner choroidal thickness (CTh) compared to healthy peers. This finding suggests CTh may aid in monitoring pediatric DCM progression.

Area of Science:

  • Ophthalmology
  • Cardiology
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Chronic heart failure (CHF) in children, often secondary to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), presents complex physiological challenges.
  • Choroidal thickness (CTh) is a key indicator of ocular health and vascular status.
  • Understanding ocular changes in pediatric CHF is crucial for comprehensive patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate choroidal thickness (CTh) in children with CHF secondary to DCM using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT).
  • To compare CTh measurements in children with CHF due to DCM against those of age- and sex-matched healthy children.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective enrollment of 30 children with CHF due to DCM and 30 healthy controls.
  • Transthoracic echocardiography to assess left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and NT-proBNP levels.
  • SD-OCT imaging to measure subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCTh) and CTh at multiple locations.

Main Results:

  • Children with CHF due to DCM demonstrated statistically significantly lower CTh at all measured locations compared to controls.
  • Mean CTh differences ranged from 38.13 to 65.69 μm across different measurement points.
  • No significant correlation was found between CTh and age, gender, biometry, refractive error, LVEF, or NT-proBNP levels.

Conclusions:

  • Pediatric patients with CHF secondary to DCM exhibit reduced choroidal thickness.
  • CTh is a potentially valuable parameter for monitoring the clinical course of DCM in children.
  • Further research can explore the implications of these findings for early detection and management strategies.
Abstract

Keywords:
Choroidal thicknessChronic heart failureDilated cardiomyopathyOptical coherence tomography

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