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More about Congenital Heart Disease:
Definition Causes and symptoms Diagnosis Treatment Prognosis Resources |
Echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are used to confirm congenital heart disease when it is suggested by the symptoms and physical examination. An echocardiograph will display an image of the heart that is formed by sound waves. It detects valve and other heart problems. Fetal echocardiography is used to diagnose congenital heart disease in utero, usually after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Between 10 and 14 weeks of pregnancy, physicians also may use an ultrasound to look for a thickness at the nuchal translucency, a pocket of fluid in back of the embryo's neck, which may indicate a cardiac defect in 55% of cases. Cardiac MRI, a scanning method that uses magnetic fields and radio waves, can help physicians evaluate congenital heart disease, but is not always necessary. Physicians also may use a chest x ray to look at the size and location of the heart and lungs, or an electrocardiograph (ECG), which measures electrical impulses to create a graph of the heart beat.
— Melissa Knopper
