Presentation Information
[I-OR05-01]Keynote Lecture : Noninvasive Characterization of Myocardial Stiffness in Congenital and Paediatric Acquired Heart Diseases
○Yui-Fai Cheung1 (The University of Hong Kong)
Myocardial relaxation and stiffness constitute key elements of ventricular diastolic function. Whereas the former involves an active process of lengthening the myocardial fibres to their pre-contractile state, the latter represents inherent passive filling property of the myocardial tissue. Characterization of myocardial stiffness can shed light on the understanding of diastolic dysfunction of congenital and paediatric acquired heart diseases. Nonetheless, the need for invasive cardiac catheterization to define the pressure-volume relationship has constituted a major obstacle in the past. This lecture shall provide an overview and appraisal of the current and emerging echocardiographic and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging modalities for noninvasive characterization of myocardial stiffness in the arena of paediatric cardiology. The clinical implications of defining myocardial stiffening in congenital heart patients and children with cardiomyopathies shall further be discussed.