Circulating transforming growth factor-β and aortic dilation in repaired hearts: abridged secondary publication
YF Cheung, PC Chow, EKF So, KW Chan
Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong
 
 
1. Compared with healthy controls, patients with repaired tetralogy of Fallot had significantly higher circulating levels of transforming growth factor-β1, metalloproteinase-2, and metalloproteinase-9, whereas patients with atrial switch operation or Fontan procedure had significantly higher circulating levels of metalloproteinase-2.
2. The circulating transforming growth factor-β1 level correlated significantly with metalloproteinase-9 and aortic sinus dimension.
3. The ascending aortic dimensions were significantly greater, and elastic properties were significantly worse in all patient groups, compared with healthy controls.
4. Aortic stiffness correlated positively with sinus dimension and negatively with indices of systemic ventricular systolic and diastolic deformation.