COLOUR DOPPLER ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY IN THE MANAGEMENT OF CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE.

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Pediatric Cardiology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Congenital heart disease (CHD) is a significant health concern in children.
• Accurate diagnostic tools are crucial for effective management of CHD.
• Echocardiography has evolved, with color Doppler offering enhanced visualization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of color Doppler echocardiography in pediatric CHD.
• To compare the utility of color Doppler echocardiography with traditional methods like catheterization.
• To assess the current role of color Doppler echocardiography in a clinical setting.

Main Methods:

• Studied twenty pediatric patients with various forms of CHD.
• Utilized two-dimensional and color Doppler echocardiography for assessment.
• Correlated echocardiographic findings with surgical outcomes and catheterization data where applicable.

Main Results:

• Color Doppler echocardiography accurately delineated cardiac lesions in operated patients.
• Two patients underwent surgery based solely on echocardiographic data.
• Seven patients required additional preoperative catheterization for definitive diagnosis.

Conclusions:

• Color Doppler echocardiography is a highly accurate, non-invasive tool for CHD assessment.
• Its application in pediatric settings is still developing and requires significant expertise.
• Preoperative catheterization remains necessary for many cases, highlighting the evolving role of echocardiography.