[Morphological features of congenital heart defects in en face imaging with 2-dimensional echocardiography].
OBJECTIVE
To describe the morphological features of congenital heart defects and their spatial orientations to the neighboring structures in special two-dimensional echocardiographic views.


METHODS
Conventional two-dimensional echocardiographic sections were obtained in 45 patients with atrial septal defect (ASD) and 15 with ventricular septal defect (VSD) before the en face imaging, a special echocardiographic view, was performed using a transthoracic probe for morphological characterization of the ASD and VSD. En face views of the secundum ASD and perimembranous and outflow tract or doubly committed subarterial VSD were imaged on the interatrial septal section and inflow and outflow interventricular septal section at parasternal or apical position, respectively.


RESULTS
The special echocardiographic section provided en face plane views of the congenital heart defects in 35/43 (81%) of secundum ASD and 10/15 (67%) of VSD patients, and allowed full assessment of their size, shape, circumference and spatial orientations to the neighboring structures, showing also the relationship between two or multiple defects.


CONCLUSIONS
The special transthoracic two-dimensional echocardiography not only displays the morphological features of ASD and VSD, but also provides additional information for making clinical decisions.
Lai
Yu-qiong
YQ
Department of Cardiology, Foshan First People's Hospital, Foshan 528000, China. lyuqiong@fsyyy.com
Huang
Xin-sheng
XS
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006344:Heart Septal Defects, Atrial / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006345:Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055815:Young Adult