[MRI in postoperative assessment of univentricular heart disease: correlation with echocardiography and angiography].
OBJECTIVE
To determine the value of MRI in the postoperative evaluation of a singular ventricle compared to echocardiography and cardiac catheterization.


METHODS
Thirty-one patients (range: 6 months to 30 years) with a functional single ventricle following palliative corrective operations. Five patients had a Blalock-Taussig-Shunt, 8 patients a Glenn-Anastomosis and 18 a cavopulmonary shunt (6 with classic Fontan-Circulation, 12 with modified cavopulmonary anastomosis). The results in terms of postoperative morphologic changes were compared to percutaneous echocardiography (31/31) and cardiac catheterization (6/31).


RESULTS
Echocardiography, which was performed on all patients, could not visualize the entire length of the tunnel, the Glenn-Anastomosis or the central pulmonary arteries in 70 % of the patients due to an inadequate acoustic window. MRI was able to show the entire tunnel in 11/12 patients and the central pulmonary arteries in 30/31 patients. The exact anatomy was seen in all 6 patients undergoing cardiac catheterization.


CONCLUSIONS
MRI is useful in the postoperative evaluation of a functionally single ventricle. It is superior to echocardiography. Cardiac catheterization should be reserved for patients with inconclusive MRI findings.
Weiss
F
F
Klinik und Poliklinik für Radiologie, Abteilung für Diagnostische und Interventionelle Radiologie, Germany. F.Weiss@ukl.uni-hamburg.de
Habermann
C R
CR
Lilje
C
C
Sasse
K
K
Kühne
T
T
Weil
J
J
Adam
G
G
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000790:Angiocardiography; D000792:Angiography; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004452:Echocardiography; D004562:Electrocardiography; D018610:Heart Bypass, Right; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000002:abnormalities*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging