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A Pipeline to Characterize Structural Heart Defects in the Fetal Mouse
Published on: December 16, 2022
Anatomical assessment of congenital heart disease
1Department of Pediatrics and Radiology, Keck School of Medicine, Children's Hospital of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90027-0034, USA. jwood@chla.usc.edu
Insights
Cardiac MRI (CMR) is becoming the preferred method for diagnosing congenital heart disease (CHD) when echocardiography is insufficient. This review focuses on CMR
Area of Science:
- Medical Imaging
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Pediatric Cardiology
Background:
- Diagnostic cardiac catheterization is being superseded by Cardiac MRI (CMR) for congenital heart disease (CHD) evaluation.
- Echocardiography may be insufficient for detailed anatomic and functional assessment in complex CHD cases.
Observation:
- This manuscript details the principles of anatomic imaging in CHD using CMR.
- Emphasis is placed on selecting and modifying pulse sequences for infants and children.
- Clinical examples highlight the strengths and weaknesses of various CMR techniques.
Findings:
- CMR provides detailed anatomic characterization of congenital heart defects.
- Appropriate pulse sequence selection is crucial for effective pediatric CHD imaging.
- While not detailing functional aspects, the study underscores their importance in assessing defect severity.
Implications:
- CMR is a vital tool for the comprehensive assessment of congenital heart disease.
- Understanding CMR principles enhances diagnostic accuracy in pediatric cardiology.
- This work contributes to the integrated CMR approach for CHD management.
Abstract:
Cardiac MRI (CMR) is replacing diagnostic cardiac catheterization as the modality of choice for anatomic and functional characterization of congenital heart disease (CHD) when echocardiographic imaging is insufficient. In this manuscript, we discuss the principles of anatomic imaging of CHD, placing emphasis on the appropriate choice and modification of pulse sequences necessary to evaluate infants and small children. Clinical examples are provided to illustrate the relative strengths and shortcomings of different CMR imaging techniques. Although cardiovascular function and flow techniques are not described, their role in evaluating the severity of anatomic defects is emphasized. Anatomic characterization represents the first component of a carefully-planned, integrated CMR assessment of CHD.
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