Influence ofcolour Doppler echocardiography on theultrasonic assessment ofcongenital heart disease: aprospective study

Objective-To evaluate theadditional information provided bycolourDoppler intheultrasonic assessment ofcongenital heartdisease. Patients andmethods-Aprospective studyof215children (agerange 1 day-16 years)presenting withclinical signsof congenital heartdisease. Results-Colour Doppler was essential forthediagnosis ofan anomalousleft coronary arteryandalteredthemanagement ofa patient initially diagnosed as havingcardiomyopathy. ColourDopplerprovidedextra information, but withoutmajorimpacton management, inthefollowing: thediagnosis ofventricular septaldefectsassociated with otherdefects, ofmultipleventricular septal defects, ofanomalouspulmonary venous drainage, and of mild mitral regurgitation; thedemonstration ofsite ofcoarctation, ofstenotic or hypoplastic pulmonaryartery branches,of unobstructed flowthrougha rightatrial membrane,andofleftventricle toright atriumregurgitation; theassessmentof thewidthoftheductandofflowthrough thepatentforamenovaleintranspositionandtricuspid atresia; thedifferentiationofpulmonaryatresia fromcritical pulmonarystenosis and themeasurement ofmaximum velocity oftricuspid regurgitation. Conclusions-Ideally all patients