title: Approach to diagnosing congenital cardiac disorders.
abstract: The subspecialty of pediatric cardiology has rapidly progressed in the past few years with more children with heart defects surviving to adulthood. With newer diagnostic tools and improved surgical techniques, many heart defects are being approached with surgery. Although the more complicated lesions are never "completely repaired" and may require heart transplant in the long-term, there is an approach to "palliation." Most of the congenital heart malformations are detected in the perinatal period and this article gives the reader a general picture of the diagnostic approach to a multitude of heart defects.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Health Science Center, Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Georgios A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Hartas
authors.forename: Emmanouil
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tsounias
authors.forename: Monesha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gupta-Malhotra
mesh_terms: D006328:Cardiac Catheterization; D002309:Cardiology / Q000379:methods; D003490:Cyanosis / Q000209:etiology; D004452:Echocardiography; D004562:Electrocardiography; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000145:classification / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D016027:Heart Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008487:Medical History Taking / Q000379:methods; D017283:Neonatal Nursing; D015997:Neonatal Screening / Q000379:methods; D009359:Neonatology / Q000379:methods; D009730:Nursing Assessment / Q000379:methods; D010166:Palliative Care; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000379:methods; D010808:Physical Examination / Q000379:methods / Q000451:nursing; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed