CONCLUSIONS:
Systemic right ventricular function in patients with Senning repair was
impaired at rest and during dobutamine stress echocardiography (even
among asymptomatic ones) and appears to limit exercise capacity (symptom
appearance), chronotropic incompetence, and increase in the severity of
TV regurgitation. Right ventricular 2D echocardiography speckle tracking
based global longitudinal strain (GLS) was a feasible, easy, and useful
parameter in the quantitative assessment of systemic RV function in
patients with Senning operation. In the children’s age group with
Senning repair at peak dose DSE, the speckle based RV GLS accurately and
quantitatively assessed the masked contractile reserve that was not
evaluated by the ordinary volume estimation and RV ejection fraction (RV
EF) methods. Despite the significant improvement in RV GLS, it did not
reach the expected normal values, but it still helped estimate the
masked contractile reserve thus promoted continuing cardiac
anti-fibrotic treatment in these patients. Still, these children after
atrial switch repair need serial long-term follow-up monitoring.