Background: The aim of this study was to investigate relations between longitudinal peak systolic tissue velocity (S') and early diastolic tissue velocity (E') in children with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM).
Methods: S' and E' were recorded by tissue Doppler at the lateral (mitral) annulus and basal ventricular septum in 148 children (age range, 0-18 years), 34 with DCM, 60 with HCM, and 54 controls. Correlations between S' and E' and the S'/E' ratio were investigated, as well as relations to other functional indices.
Results: In all groups, S' was correlated with E' at the lateral annulus and interventricular septum, but the relation and S'/E' ratio differed between groups. In patients with DCM, both S' and E' were decreased, whereas in those with HCM, E' was decreased, with smaller decreases in S'. The S'/E' ratio was correlated with indices of ventricular relaxation and filling.
Conclusions: In pediatric DCM and HCM, systolic and diastolic longitudinal function are related, possibly reflecting effects of systolic function on diastolic recoil.