A CHD ultrasound, also known as an echocardiogram, is a non-invasive imaging test that uses sound waves to create moving pictures of the heart. This procedure allows healthcare professionals to visualize the heart’s structure and how it functions. It plays an important role in assessing overall heart health by providing detailed views of its chambers, valves, and blood flow.
Understanding Congenital Heart Disease
Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) refers to problems with the heart’s structure that are present at birth. CHDs can affect the heart walls, valves, or the major blood vessels connected to the heart.
The severity of CHDs can vary widely, ranging from mild conditions that may not require treatment to more complex issues needing intervention soon after birth. While the exact cause is often unknown, factors like genetics, certain maternal health conditions, or exposure to specific substances during pregnancy can increase the risk.
Why a CHD Ultrasound is Performed
A CHD ultrasound is performed for screening, diagnosis, and monitoring. During pregnancy, a fetal echocardiogram may be recommended if there are risk factors such as a family history of CHDs, maternal medical conditions like diabetes or lupus, or abnormal findings on a routine obstetrical ultrasound. This specialized ultrasound evaluates the unborn baby’s heart, typically between 18 and 24 weeks of gestation, although images can sometimes be obtained as early as 11-13 weeks.
For infants, children, or adults, a pediatric or adult echocardiogram is used if symptoms like shortness of breath, a heart murmur, or poor growth are present. This test helps to identify or confirm suspected heart conditions.
The CHD Ultrasound Procedure
Before a CHD ultrasound, there is no special preparation required for a standard transthoracic echocardiogram. Patients typically change into a gown and lie down on an examination table. Electrode patches are placed on the chest to monitor the heart’s electrical activity during the test.
A sonographer applies a lubricating gel to the chest or directly to a small handheld device called a transducer. This transducer is then moved over the chest area. The device sends sound waves into the body, and these waves bounce back from the heart’s structures.
The transducer captures the reflected sound waves, which a computer then converts into moving images of the heart on a monitor. The procedure is non-invasive, painless, and usually takes between 30 to 60 minutes to complete.
What a CHD Ultrasound Can Diagnose
A CHD ultrasound provides detailed images that can identify various structural abnormalities of the heart. It allows visualization of the heart chambers, valves, and major blood vessels to assess their structure and function.
The ultrasound can detect holes in the heart walls, such as a ventricular septal defect (VSD) or an atrial septal defect (ASD), which are openings between chambers. It also helps identify problems with heart valves, like stenosis (narrowing) or regurgitation (leaking). Issues with major blood vessels connected to the heart, such as coarctation of the aorta (a narrowed aorta) or transposition of the great arteries, can also be diagnosed. Other complex conditions like Tetralogy of Fallot, a combination of four defects, can be identified.
Receiving Results and Next Steps
Patients typically receive their CHD ultrasound results shortly after the examination, often within 15 minutes if reviewed by a fetal cardiologist. The sonographer does not provide results; instead, a doctor, such as a pediatric cardiologist, will interpret the images and discuss the findings with the patient or parents.
If the findings are normal, no further testing may be needed. However, if an anomaly is detected, the doctor will explain the diagnosis, its implications, and the certainty of the findings. Depending on the severity of the CHD, next steps may include further diagnostic tests, consultations with other specialists like cardiac surgeons, or the development of a treatment plan.