[Use of transthoracic 3D-echocardiography in congenital heart disease]

3D-echocardiography using a matrix array transducer was performed in 112 patients. In 98 patients (87.5 %) we were able to acquire adequate 3D-data. The mean time for the 3D-examination was 5.5 min. In valve lesions, septal defects and complex cyanotic heart disease 3D-echocardiography was a confident and helpful innovation for better assessment of the intracardiac morphology in pediatric patients. We conclude that 3D-echocardiography is a useful addition to the conventional 2D-echocardiography.