Use and abuse of the echocardiogram

Echocardiography is a valuable noninvasive technology that has profoundly influenced the standards of medical and surgical care of infants and children with cardiac disease. The correct and efficient utilization of this technology requires a knowledge of the structures that can be visualized on the echocardiogram, the limitations of the technique, and the factors that influence the quality of the echocardiographic examination. This article includes specific examples of the uses and abuses of the echocardiogram in (1) the determination of the anatomic diagnosis, (2) the assessment of the hemodynamic severity of the defect, and (3) the assessment of cardiac function.