Cardiac Performance Evaluation in Patients with Muscular Dystrophy

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Dilated cardiomyopathy frequently occurs in adolescents and young adults with muscular dystrophies, often preceding clinical heart failure.
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Ventriculoarterial coupling (VAC) is a key measure of cardiovascular efficiency, reflecting the relationship between ventricular performance and arterial load.
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This study aimed to evaluate VAC in muscular dystrophy patients, hypothesizing that VAC would be more abnormal in those with worse disease phenotypes.
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A total of 46 muscular dystrophy patients were included, with a median follow-up of 4.1 years and a majority exhibiting the Duchene phenotype.
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At initial echocardiograms, 70% of patients were on oral steroids, and 65% were receiving ACE inhibitors or ARBs, with mean LVEF at 58 ± 8%.

Pediatric Cardiology

by Naomi Khanna, Joseph Mahgerefteh, Noah Elkins, Daphne T. Hsu, Jacqueline M. Lamour, Leslie Delfiner, Induja Gajendran, Neha Bansal
February 20, 2026

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