Coronary diameter in normal infants, children and patients with Kawasaki disease

• Published in: Pediatrics international 2002-02, Vol.44 (1), p.1-4
• Main Authors: Kurotobi, Shunji, Nagai, Toshisaburo, Kawakami, Nobuhiro, Sano, Tetsuya
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Child; Child, Preschool; coronary artery; coronary diameter; Coronary Vessels - pathology; echocardiography; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Kawasaki disease; Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome - pathology; normal children; Prospective Studies; Reference Values
• ISSN: 1328-8067; 1442-200X
• DOI: 10.1046/j.1442-200X.2002.01508.x

Background : The coronary assessments in Kawasaki disease are mainly based on the Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare criteria, which is simply classified according to the patient’s age, over 5 years and less than 4‐years‐old. Methods : We obtained normal values of coronary diameters adjusted for the body surface area and for the coronary anatomical site from 71 healthy children using 2‐D echocardiography. We also studied patients with Kawasaki disease at three stages from the onset of illness: (i) 43 patients at admission; (ii) the subsequent 2–3 weeks; and (iii) 62 children followed at a clinic, for a median 2.2 years after the onset. No patients showed any coronary abnormalities by several echographic exams. Results : The coronary diameters were strongly correlated with the body surface area (r = 0.81 in left main, r = 0.89 in proximal right, r = 0.89 in left anterior descending artery). The coronary diameters in the patient groups at admission and at 2–3 weeks later were significantly larger than those in the normal group (P