Sharma S, Anand R, Kanter K R, Williams W H, Dooley K J, Jones D W, Vincent R N
Division of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.
Clin Cardiol. 1992 Dec;15(12):891-7. doi: 10.1002/clc.4960151208.
Between January 1988 and August 1991, at The Children's Heart Center, Atlanta, 83 infants with congenital heart defects were diagnosed by echocardiography and underwent surgery without cardiac catheterization. The diagnostic categories included 46 infants with left heart obstructive lesions, 19 infants with cyanotic heart lesions, and 18 infants with miscellaneous lesions. Forty-five infants (55%) underwent surgery under cardiopulmonary bypass. There were three errors in diagnosis, yielding a diagnostic accuracy of 95%. Many infants with congenital heart disease can be accurately and completely diagnosed by echocardiography and can safely undergo surgery without cardiac catheterization.
