Characteristics of late gadolinium enhancement in children with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Objective To analyze the prevalence of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) in children with idiopathic hypertrophic cardiomyopathy(HCM). Methods Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging(CMR) was performed consecutively in 71 children with idiopathic HCM(12.8 ± 4.1 years old; 46 males, 25 females) from January 2006 to January 2012. Left ventricular (LV) parameters indexed by the body surface area were calculated, and LGE was carried out. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were generated, and differences in the two groups were compared via a log-rank test. Results Of the total number of children with HCM, 9 patients (12.7%) had concentric LV hypertrophy, and 2 of these 9 patients progressed into an end-stage phase. The prevalence of LGE was 73%. The LV mass index of the children with HCM subjected to LGE was greater than that of the other group[(112.7±57.9) g/m2vs. (70.3±37.4) g/m2, t=2.71, P=0.025], but their maximal LV wall thickness index was not significantly different [(19.4±6.3) vs. (18.1±7.9) mm/m2, t=0.69, P=0.513]. Follow-up (2.4±1.6 years) revealed that LGE was associated with the adverse events in children with HCM (log-rank, χ2=4.77, P=0.029). Conclusions The prevalence of LGE in childhood HCM was similar to that in adult HCM. Children with HCM subjected to LGE likely suffered from adverse events. Key words: Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic; Children; Magnetic resonance imaging; Late gadolinium enhancement