Carrie Altman, MD, FASE (2015 Pediatric/Congenital Program Chair)

Piers Barker, MD, FASE (2015 Pediatric/Congenital Track Program Co-Chair)

ASE 2015 is just around the corner! Plan to arrive in Boston on Friday, June 12 ^th , as the Pediatric and Congenital Track kicks off early on Saturday at 7 A.M. (!) with a case-based session focusing on the practical aspects of strain in understanding physiology and impacting management. The ever-popular path/echo/surgical correlation sessions this year are devoted to transposition of the great arteries and to mitral valve disease. We look forward to Dr Steve Sanders once again walking us through the exam of his marvelous pathology specimens, and we welcome Drs Charles Fraser and Pedro Del Nido, who will provide the surgical perspectives. New this year will be the incorporation of fetal imaging to these sessions. On Saturday afternoon, we will examine the many faces of infarct and ischemia in our patient populations, including the role of anomalous coronary origins, Kawasaki Disease, transplant, and various inflammatory/infectious conditions. Next, get ready for some fun! Jeopardy, hosted by the creative team of Drs Michael Brook and David Harrild, will feature faculty-former trainee teams this year. Leave some energy for the ASE Foundation Research Gala on Saturday evening, where Dr Hugh Allen will be honored with this year’s Pediatric Founders Award.

To pull us out of bed for the Sunday 7 A.M. case-based learning session, the most interesting, educational, and unique of the submitted imaging cases will be selected for presentation and discussion. Then, in a joint session sponsored by the ASE and European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging, we will delve into emerging technologies such as new three-dimensional representation techniques from computational modeling, high frequency imaging from animals to humans, flow and vortex imaging, and advanced myocardial deformation imaging. In subsequent Sunday sessions, we will get pearls on pediatric transesophageal echocardiography and comprehensive evaluation of the adult with tetralogy of Fallot. Finally, relax and network with your peers on Sunday evening at the annual Society of Pediatric Echocardiography (SOPE) dinner symposium.

Monday’s sessions promise to build on the weekend’s learning, starting with a focused session of the assessment of valve regurgitation in the pediatric population and how much (if at all) the adult guidelines apply. This forum should be especially useful for any echocardiographer who has struggled to quantify valve abnormalities and convey reproducible interpretations to the surgical teams. A dedicated fetal cardiology session will then provide an in-depth look at the challenges of assessing fetal cardiac output, function, and flow. Monday afternoon provides an opportunity for junior faculty and fellows to engage with experienced echo faculty in discussions about early imaging career development (mentorship, how labs are run, etc) at the first ever Pediatric Chalk Talks. Later that afternoon come the ever-popular “controversies” session, where an international group of echo-heavyweights will debate the merits of complete vs. focused echocardiograms, biventricular vs. single ventricular palliation, and whether it’s ever possible to have a “mitral” valve in the setting of an atrioventricular canal defect. There is no question that the best information will be presented, with hopefully a little of the worst behavior.

The adrenaline continues with a session devoted to stress imaging in pediatrics. The day ends on an appropriately genteel and academic note with the opportunity to hear Dr Steve Sanders interviewed in the Fireside Chat. A leader in echocardiography and cardiac pathology throughout his illustrative career, and now the Director of the Cardiac Registry at Boston Children’s Hospital, this should provide a memorable exploration of our field for all attendees.

Tuesday continues the intensity through to the conclusion, with a case-based learning session focusing on the impact of three-dimensional imaging on the management of congenital heart disease as a great start at 7A.M. The pediatric oral abstracts that follow will be a chance for everyone to see the cutting edge science driving our field forward. The science continues with a novel session on aortopathy, with opportunities to learn more about both common abnormalities and lesions such as dissection and traumatic injury seen less frequently in pediatrics. A final session on myocardial mechanics in congenital heart disease wraps things up nicely as a perfect blend of imaging, quantification, and cutting edge science to leave us all inspired to apply the learning of the meeting back to our home programs.