Browsing by Author "Ballweg, Jean A."

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    Cardiac Imaging and Biomarkers for Assessing Myocardial Fibrosis in Children with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
    (Elsevier, 2023) Kirmani, Sonya; Woodard, Pamela K.; Shi, Ling; Hamza, Taye H.; Canter, Charles E.; Colan, Steven D.; Pahl, Elfriede; Towbin, Jeffrey A.; Webber, Steven A.; Rossano, Joseph W.; Everitt, Melanie D.; Molina, Kimberly M.; Kantor, Paul F.; Jefferies, John L.; Feingold, Brian; Addonizio, Linda J.; Ware, Stephanie M.; Chung, Wendy K.; Ballweg, Jean A.; Lee, Teresa M.; Bansal, Neha; Razoky, Hiedy; Czachor, Jason; Lunze, Fatima I.; Marcus, Edward; Commean, Paul; Wilkinson, James D.; Lipshultz, Steven E.; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
    Background: Myocardial fibrosis, as diagnosed on cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (cMRI) by late gadolinium enhancement (LGE), is associated with adverse outcomes in adults with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), but its prevalence and magnitude in children with HCM have not been established. We investigated: (1) the prevalence and extent of myocardial fibrosis as detected by LGE cMRI; (2) the agreement between echocardiographic and cMRI measurements of cardiac structure; and (3) whether serum concentrations of N-terminal pro hormone B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and cardiac troponin-T are associated with cMRI measurements. Methods: A cross-section of children with HCM from 9 tertiary-care pediatric heart centers in the U.S. and Canada were enrolled in this prospective NHLBI study of cardiac biomarkers in pediatric cardiomyopathy (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01873976). The median age of the 67 participants was 13.8 years (range 1-18 years). Core laboratories analyzed echocardiographic and cMRI measurements, and serum biomarker concentrations. Results: In 52 children with non-obstructive HCM undergoing cMRI, overall low levels of myocardial fibrosis with LGE >2% of left ventricular (LV) mass were detected in 37 (71%) (median %LGE, 9.0%; IQR: 6.0%, 13.0%; range, 0% to 57%). Echocardiographic and cMRI measurements of LV dimensions, LV mass, and interventricular septal thickness showed good agreement using the Bland-Altman method. NT-proBNP concentrations were strongly and positively associated with LV mass and interventricular septal thickness (P < .001), but not LGE. Conclusions: Low levels of myocardial fibrosis are common in pediatric patients with HCM seen at referral centers. Longitudinal studies of myocardial fibrosis and serum biomarkers are warranted to determine their predictive value for adverse outcomes in pediatric patients with HCM.
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    Genetic Testing Resources and Practice Patterns Among Pediatric Cardiomyopathy Programs
    (Springer, 2025) Godown, Justin; Kim, Emily H.; Everitt, Melanie D.; Chung, Wendy K.; Lytrivi, Irene D.; Kirmani, Sonya; Kantor, Paul F.; Ware, Stephanie M.; Ballweg, Jean A.; Lal, Ashwin K.; Bansal, Neha; Towbin, Jeffrey; Lipshultz, Steven E.; Lee, Teresa M.; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
    The use of genetic testing has enhanced the diagnostic accuracy of heritable genetic cardiomyopathies. However, it remains unclear how genetic information is interpreted and incorporated into clinical practice for children with cardiomyopathy. The primary aim of this study was to understand how clinical practice differs regarding sequence variant classifications amongst pediatric cardiologists who treat children with cardiomyopathy. A secondary aim was to understand the availability of genetic testing and counseling resources across participating pediatric cardiomyopathy programs. An electronic survey was distributed to pediatric heart failure, cardiomyopathy, or heart transplantation physicians between August and September 2022. A total of 106 individual providers from 68 unique centers responded to the survey. Resources for genetic testing and genetic counseling vary among large pediatric cardiomyopathy programs. A minority of centers reported having a geneticist (N = 16, 23.5%) or a genetic counselor (N = 21, 31%) on faculty within the division of pediatric cardiology. A total of 9 centers reported having both (13%). Few centers (N = 13, 19%) have a formal process in place to re-engage patients who were previously discharged from cardiology follow-up if variant reclassification would alter clinical management. Clinical practice patterns were uniform in response to pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants but were more variable for variants of uncertain significance. Efforts to better incorporate genetic expertise and resources into the clinical practice of pediatric cardiomyopathy may help to standardize the interpretation of genetic information and better inform clinical decision-making surrounding heritable cardiomyopathies.