Leo Lopez, MD, FASE

This year, for the first time, the Pediatric and CHD Council is proud to sponsor a joint session on fetal echocardiography with the Society of Maternal and Fetal Medicine. The program will take place on Sunday morning, with faculty experts from both the pediatric cardiology and obstetrics communities, and the sessions will discuss the frontiers in fetal cardiology as well as the relationship between the perinatologist and the fetal echocardiographer. At the other end of the age spectrum, Sunday afternoon will focus specifically on adults with CHD with a session discussing the evaluation and management of pregnant women with CHD and another exploring the role of echocardiography in the care of patients at risk for sudden death. An additional mini-symposium on adult CHD will be held on Monday and will discuss some of the basic imaging techniques needed for adults with common congenital heart lesions.

In an effort to maintain an ongoing relationship with our European counterparts, a joint session with the European Association of Echocardiography on Monday will examine quantification in pediatric echocardiography, with discussions of the need for Z-scores, the challenges in methodology specific to pediatrics, and the specific indices of systolic and diastolic function which are useful in children. Two other important sessions specific to pediatric echocardiography involve a discussion of the decision between biventricular repair and single ventricle palliation in the setting of ventricular hypoplasia and complex atrioventricular anatomy and a discussion of abnormal valves in children, specifically rheumatic heart disease, prosthetic valves, and Ebstein anomaly. In addition, a session entitled “Demystifying Adjunct Modalities: Analyzing the Dataset” will discuss the practical issues when evaluating pediatric data from 3D echocardiography, strain and strain rate analysis, and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging.

As in previous years, Pediatric Echo Jeopardy will take place at lunchtime on Sunday. On Monday afternoon, six oral abstracts on pediatric and CHD echocardiography, chosen from over 70 submissions, will be presented. Tuesday will be a fairly active and intense day, starting with several debates on current controversies in pediatric echocardiography: “Prenatal Diagnosis of CHD Changes Outcome”; “All High School Athletes Should Have a Screening Echocardiogram”; and “We Are Intervening Too Late in Patients with Pulmonary Regurgitation after Tetralogy of Fallot Repair”. These will be followed by three more sessions: one highlighting interesting and educational cases chosen from over 60 submissions which will be presented to and discussed by several experts in pediatric echocardiography; a panel discussion on the challenges of the academic pediatric echocardiography laboratory; and a session on frontiers in pediatric echocardiography focusing on mechanical dyssynchrony and myocardial function, left ventricular twist and torsion, fusion imaging technology, and the role of echocardiography in multicenter studies.

Two important highlights of ASE 2010 will focus on important educators in the field of pediatric echocardiography. During the Council Business Meeting on Monday at 12:15 p.m., Dr. Nancy Ayres will receive the Excellence in Teaching in Pediatrics Award in recognition of her contributions to the education of pediatric and fetal echocardiographers for many years. The second event will be a reprise of the very successful Fireside Chat which premiered at ASE 2009, when Dr. Roberta Williams was interviewed by Dr. Peter Frommelt. This year, Dr. Richard Van Praagh will be interviewed by Dr. Ira Parness on Monday evening. Dr. Richard Van Praagh is one of the pioneers in pediatric cardiology, having been the first person to describe the segmental approach to the diagnosis of CHD in 1972. He has authored more than 280 scientific publications with his wife, Dr. Stella Van Praagh, and other colleagues, and most of these publications have focused on the clinical, pathologic, and embryologic correlations of congenital heart lesions in an effort to aid with their diagnosis and management. Having been honored with numerous national and international awards, Dr. Richard Van Praagh is certainly a treasure trove of cardiac morphology information as well as stories depicting the history of pediatric cardiology; Dr. Ira Parness will surely capture all the glory, grace, and humor of his life.

In summary, the Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease Track for the 2010 ASE Scientific Sessions will provide an overview of current knowledge and state-of-the-art technology in fetal, pediatric, and adult congenital cardiology. Please encourage all attending physicians, fellows, and sonographers involved in the care of fetuses, children, and adults with CHD to attend these very important and educational sessions in beautiful San Diego!