Is Total Isovolumic Time Useful for Assessing Ventricular Function in the Fontan Patient?

This article discusses the evaluation of ventricular function in Fontan patients, who have a single right ventricle (sRV). The study examines whether total isovolumic time (t-IVT), a marker of left ventricular systolic-diastolic interaction, can be used as a marker of sRV function. The researchers performed a retrospective analysis of echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance studies of 47 Fontan patients and found that t-IVT correlated closely with sRV ejection fraction (sRV-EF), suggesting that it can be a useful marker for monitoring systolic function in these patients. The study also suggests that global longitudinal strain (GLS) is a sensitive parameter for detecting changes in sRV function. [Extracted from the article]