Medical expert of the article

Cardiologist

New publications

Diagnosis of congenital heart defects

Alexey Portnov, medical expert
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024

All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.

We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.

If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.

Instrumental methods

Electrocardiography. ECG is important already at the initial stages of diagnosis of congenital heart disease. It is important to evaluate all parameters of the standard ECG.

The change in the driver's characteristic of rhythm for congenital malformations is not typical. The frequency of the heart rhythm due to hypoxia and hypoxemia almost always increases. The regularity of the heart rate rarely changes. With violations of the heart rhythm, the defect of the interventricular septum is often associated, accompanied in some cases by extrasystole, and the anomaly of the development of the tricuspid valve (Ebstein's anomaly), accompanied by attacks of paroxysmal tachycardia.

A certain diagnostic value is the deviation of the electrical axis of the heart. When the right ventricle is overloaded, a pathological deviation of the electric axis of the heart to the right (defect of the interatrial and interventricular septum, tetralogy of Fallot, etc.) is noted. The pathological deviation of the electrical axis of the heart to the left is typical for the open aortic duct, the incomplete form of AV communication. Such changes on the ECG can be the first warning signs.

Some variants of intraventricular blockades may be symptoms of certain heart defects. For an atrial septal defect, the incomplete right bundle branch block is of the rSR type . In the case of an abnormality of the Ebstein tricuspid valve, a complete blockage of the right leg of the bundle of His is often encountered.

X-ray examination

Radiography should be carried out in three projections - straight and two oblique. Assess the state of pulmonary blood flow and chambers of the heart. The results of the study in the topical diagnosis of congenital heart disease are not absolute and only in combination with other diagnostic methods.

Echocardiography. In most cases, this is the decisive method of topical diagnosis of congenital malformations. The negative side of the echocardiogram is an element of the subjectivity of the researcher, "an objective method in the subjective evaluation."

Unfortunately, at the present time, phonocardiography has lost its diagnostic significance, but it can make corrections to the auscultation data.

Angiography and catheterization of the heart cavities. The method allows to determine the pressure in the chambers of the heart, the saturation of blood with oxygen, the direction of intracardiac discharges, the type of anatomical and functional disorders.

trusted-source [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7], [8], [9], [10], [11], [12],

Translation Disclaimer: For the convenience of users of the iLive portal this article has been translated into the current language, but has not yet been verified by a native speaker who has the necessary qualifications for this. In this regard, we warn you that the translation of this article may be incorrect, may contain lexical, syntactic and grammatical errors.