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Assessment of Vascular Function in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease
Published on: June 16, 2014
Cardiac Evaluation in Children With Chronic Renal Failure and Effect of Kidney Transplant
Mehtap Küçük1, Emil Akbarov, Esra Baskın
1From the Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Başkent University, Ankara Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
Insights
Kidney transplant significantly improves cardiovascular health in children with chronic renal failure. Echocardiography shows enhanced cardiac structure and function post-transplant, highlighting its benefit.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Nephrology
- Transplantation Medicine
Background:
- Cardiovascular diseases pose a significant risk of mortality and morbidity in children with chronic renal failure.
- Regular cardiac evaluation and follow-up are essential for pediatric patients before and after renal transplantation.
- Echocardiography provides a noninvasive method for assessing cardiac structure and function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of kidney transplantation on cardiovascular parameters in pediatric patients.
- To assess changes in echocardiographic findings before and after renal transplantation.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of echocardiography findings in 55 pediatric kidney transplant recipients.
- Data collected included left ventricular dimensions (z scores), mass index (z scores), ejection fraction, fractional shortening, valve function, pulmonary hypertension, and pericardial effusion.
- Echocardiograms were performed at baseline and 6 months post-transplant.
Main Results:
- Significant decrease in left ventricular systolic and diastolic diameter z scores post-transplant.
- Reduction in mitral regurgitation and increase in left ventricular systolic function and mass index observed.
- Positive changes in echocardiographic features indicate improved cardiovascular status.
Conclusions:
- Kidney transplantation demonstrates a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular status of pediatric end-stage renal disease patients.
- Transplantation leads to improvements in both structural and functional echocardiographic parameters.
- Regular cardiac monitoring and transplantation are crucial for preserving and enhancing cardiovascular function in this population.
Objectives:
Cardiovascular diseases are an important cause of mortality and morbidity in children with chronic renal failure. Cardiac evaluation and followup are crucial for these patients before and after renal transplant. Echocardiography is a noninvasive imaging modality that allows for the assessment of cardiac structure and function.
Materials And Methods:
We retrospectively investigated pretransplant and posttransplant echocardiography findings for 55 pediatric patients who had underwent kidney transplant. We recorded patient characteristics before and after transplant, including age, sex, follow-up period, etiology of renal failure, left ventricular systolic and diastolic diameters and the associated z scores, left ventricular mass indexes and z scores, ejection fraction and fractional shortening, aortic valve and atrioventricular valve insufficiencies, presence of pulmonary hypertension, and pericardial effusion (if any) in echocardiography. All participants underwent echocardiography at baseline and after 6 months following the transplant procedure.
Results:
Posttransplant echocardiography evaluations showed that the z scores of left ventricular systolic and diastolic diameters decreased significantly, mitral regurgitation decreased, and left ventricular systolic functions and left ventricular mass index increased.
Conclusions:
Our study revealed that kidney transplant has a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular status of patients with end-stage renal disease, as shown by improvements in both structural and functional echocardiographic features. Cardiac functions must be monitored regularly before and after transplant. Transplantation is the optimal treatment option for preservation and improvement of cardiovascular functions.
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