[Current status of the management of the child with congenital cardiopathy].

Diagnosis in congenital heart disease in the early days was based on the electrocardiogram, fluoroscopy, and RX images, their accuracy was improved by catheterization and angiography. The next step was surgery, with the closure of the ductus arteriosus and the Blalock-Taussig shunt that changed the natural history of congenital heart defects with diminished pulmonary flow. Echocardiography enabled noninvasive, painless studies, and nowadays it is our main tool for diagnostic purposes including the fetal period with corrective surgical possibilities at an earlier age. Finally the most recent advances have been performed in the area of cardiac development and the knowledge of the etiology of genetic syndromes associated with heart disease, through molecular biology. As a result, many children with such diseases now survive to adulthood creating the need of new medical facilities for their specialized care.