Right Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction in Young Adults Born Preterm

Background—Young adults born preterm have distinct differences in left ventricular mass, function, and geometry. Animal studies suggest that cardiomyocyte changes are evident in both ventricles after preterm birth; therefore, we investigated whether these young adults also have differences in their right ventricular structure and function. Methods and Results—We studied 102 preterm-born young adults followed up prospectively since birth and 132 term-born control subjects born to uncomplicated pregnancies. We quantified right ventricular structure and function by cardiovascular magnetic resonance on a 1.5-T Siemens scanner using Argus and TomTec postprocessing software. Preterm birth was associated with a small right ventricle (end diastolic volume, 79.8±13.2 versus 88.5±11.8 mL/m2; P<0.001) but greater right ventricular mass (24.5±3.5 versus 20.4±3.4 g/m2; P<0.001) compared with term-born controls, with the severity of differences proportional to gestational age (r=−0.47, P<0.001). Differences in right ve...