PMID: 16640036Apr 28, 2006Paper

The recommended frequency of echocardiography in follow-up evaluation of patients with Kawasaki disease

Acta Paediatrica Taiwanica = Taiwan Er Ke Yi Xue Hui Za Zhi
Meng-Hsun LeeJiunn-Ren Wu

Abstract

To assess the value of follow-up echocardiograms for patients with Kawasaki disease (KD). During a period of 5 years, children diagnosed with KD were enrolled in this study if at least three echocardiograms were documented, including one at admission, one at 1 to 2 months and one beyond 2 months following the onset of fever. The cohort study recruited 176 patients, and 120 patients were included in the final analysis. Most (116 patients, 97%) of the patients were under 5 years of age, and the male-to-female ratio was 1.93: 1. During the study period, KD was more common during the summer (35.8%). Of the 120 patients, 67 (56%) had normal echocardiograms, and 53 (44%) had abnormal echocardiograms at admission. Of the 53 patients with abnormal echocardiograms, 35 had coronary artery dilatation, and 18 had aneurysm. The mean interval between the onset of illness and the documentation of echocardiographic abnormality was 13 days (range 3-37 days). The abnormal echocardiographic findings resolved in 48 of the 53 (90%) patients in 2 years. No patient who had normal echocardiographic findings at 1-2 months developed subsequent abnormalities. There was no difference in the proportion of persistent abnormal follow-up echocardiographic fin...Continue Reading

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