Ventricular septal defect cardiac catheterization

Associate Editor-In-Chief: Keri Shafer, M.D. [mailto:kshafer@bidmc.harvard.edu],Priyamvada Singh, MBBS

Cardiac Catheterization
Criteria for Cardiac Catheterization:

1. The Mayo Clinic recommends cardiac catheterization for all adults and adolescents to quantify the degree of pulmonary vascular obstruction, except in those who clearly appear to have a small VSD.

2. Infants suspected of having a large defect should undergo cardiac catheterization in the first year of life which should allow surgical correction prior to the onset of permanent pulmonary vascular obstructive disease.