Countercurrent arterial contrast echocardiography in the assessment of left to right ductal shunting in preterm infants.
A method of performing contrast echocardiography for the assessment of left to right ductal shunting in infants in a neonatal intensive care unit is described. Echo contrast was obtained by countercurrent injection of a small volume of blood through a radial artery canula . The technique was simple and reliable in 32 infants and no serious adverse reactions were observed.
D001132:Arm / Q000098:blood supply; D001158:Arteries; D001769:Blood; D002408:Catheters, Indwelling; D004374:Ductus Arteriosus, Patent / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature