Circulatory Function in the Anemias of Children

Abstract

Cardiac enlargement is perhaps the most certain single sign of heart disease. Important information might be added to studies of cardiac function in anemic children if it were possible to demonstrate significant changes in the size of the heart before and after treatment of a disorder of the blood. Roentgen examination, provided that a careful technic is used and that its fallacies are completely understood, is the most satisfactory means of obtaining such measurements. It is more accurate than clinical methods, and permanent records are obtained which may be kept for comparison. There is the added advantage that they may be interpreted by more than one observer.Recently several writers have pointed out the value of roentgenkymography in the study of heart disease,1 and it seemed that this technic might be useful in the present investigation. Since exercise is an important test of cardiac efficiency, we reasoned that we might enhance the value of our data by taking roentgenkymographic tracings before and after exercise. This could be done before and after treatment, and the records thus obtained could be compared with those for normal children.Dr. Parsons' work was done during the tenure of the Walter Myers Travelling Studentship. from its neighbor by 12 mm. The descent of the film through 11 mm., however, produces a vertical line of this length at any point of junction between contrasting