Congenital heart disease: six decades of progress

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Pediatric Cardiology
• Congenital Heart Disease

Background:

• Congenital heart malformations (CHMs) are prevalent, affecting approximately 1 in 100 live births.
• Significant advancements have been made in surgical and interventional cardiology for CHMs since the first successful persistent ductus arteriosus ligation.
• Neurological complications are a common concern in patients with congenital heart disease.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the progress in surgical and interventional management of congenital heart lesions.
• To highlight current diagnostic modalities and their expanding applications.
• To discuss challenging CHMs and the prevalence of neurological complications.

Main Methods:

• Review of historical and recent advancements in surgical and interventional cardiology.
• Discussion of diagnostic imaging techniques including echocardiography, Doppler studies, transesophageal studies, and magnetic resonance imaging.
• Focus on complex congenital heart lesions and associated neurological complications.

Main Results:

• Interventional cardiology offers alternatives to surgery for numerous congenital heart lesions.
• Echocardiography with Doppler is the primary diagnostic tool, enhanced by transesophageal studies.
• Magnetic resonance imaging aids in visualizing lesions not clearly seen on echocardiography.
• Hypoplastic left heart syndrome and pulmonary atresia variants remain challenging.

Conclusions:

• Modern cardiology provides diverse and effective treatment options for congenital heart disease.
• Advanced imaging techniques improve diagnostic accuracy for complex CHMs.
• Neurological complications represent a significant area requiring continued attention in CHDs.