title: Developments in echocardiographic techniques for the evaluation of ventricular function in children.
abstract: Echocardiography is a very important tool for the diagnosis and follow-up of children with congenital and acquired heart disease. One of the challenges that remains in paediatric heart disease is the assessment of systolic and diastolic function in children, as this is influenced by growth, morphology and loading conditions. New echocardiographic techniques, such as tissue Doppler, deformation imaging and three-dimensional echocardiography, have great potential application in this field. They may provide new insights into the influence of growth, morphology and loading on cardiac mechanics, and could become useful clinical tools. In this review, we discuss the potential use and limitations of these new echocardiographic techniques in paediatric and congenital heart disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8 Canada.
authors.forename: Andreea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dragulescu
authors.forename: Luc L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Mertens
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler / Q000379:methods; D018618:Echocardiography, Doppler, Color; D018619:Echocardiography, Doppler, Pulsed; D019560:Echocardiography, Three-Dimensional; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009200:Myocardial Contraction; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D013318:Stroke Volume; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left