Diastolic dysfunction: assessment and implications on the single ventricle circulation

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Patients with a functionally single ventricle (SV) are palliated with a series of procedures leading to a Fontan circulation. Over the life span, a substantial proportion of SV patients develop heart failure that can arise from circulatory or ventricular failure. Diastolic dysfunction (DD) is an important determinant of adverse outcomes in SV patients. However, assessment and categorization of DD in the SV remains elusive. We review recent literature and developments in assessment of DD in the SV and its relation to clinical outcomes. RECENT FINDINGS: DD is prevalent in the SV and associated with worse outcomes. Occult DD can be exposed with provocative testing by exercise or preload challenge during catheterization. Likewise, sensitivity to detect DD may be increased via assessment of atrial function and strain imaging. Recent studies revisiting previous concepts such as incoordinate diastolic wall motion show that these are associated with SV end-diastolic pressures and post-Fontan recovery, yielding accessible DD assessment. Emerging technologies such as ultrafast ultrasound (UFUS) can provide noninvasive assessment of myocardial stiffness, inefficient diastolic flow patterns and intraventricular pressure gradients, thereby yielding new tools and insights into diastolic myocardial and hemodynamic properties. SUMMARY: Characterizing DD in the SV continues to have substantial limitations, necessitating synthesis of multiple parameters into an overall assessment, accounting for their change over time, and in the context of the patient's clinical status. New and emerging techniques may help advance DD assessment and the ability to track response to treatment of new targets.