Congenital heart disease diagnosis


 * Associate Editor-In-Chief: Priyamvada Singh, MBBS [mailto:psingh@perfuse.org], Keri Shafer, M.D. [mailto:kshafer@bidmc.harvard.edu], Atif Mohammad, M.D.; Assistant Editor-In-Chief: Kristin Feeney, B.S. [mailto:kfeeney@perfuse.org]

Overview
Diagnosis of a congenital heart disease may occur at any time during a patient's life. The majority of diagnoses are made during childhood, however, some patients can go undetected until adulthood.

Diagnosis
Although the majority of congenital heart disease diagnoses are made in childhood, there are significant congenital heart defects which may be go undetected until adulthood. These typically include defects that do not cause cyanosis ("blueness") in childhood but may cause problems over time, such as certain kinds of valve problems, transposition disorders, holes in the heart, and abnormalities of the heart's major veins and arteries. Congenital heart defects are most commonly diagnosed through an echocardiogram - an ultrasound of the heart which shows the heart's structure. Cardiac magnetic resonance(MRI) are used to confirm CHD when signs or symptoms occur in the physical examination. An echocardiograph displays images of the might also be used to confirm the problem, particularly in complex defects in which anatomy is hard to determine with echocardiography. It also finds abnormal rhythms or defects of the heart present with CHD. A chest x-ray may also be issued to look at the anatomical position of the heart and lungs. A Cat Scan(CT) can also be used to visualize CHD. All of these tests are ways to diagnose CHD by a physician.