[Multislice CT scan in congenital heart disease]

Abstract

The management of congenital cardiovascular malformations is a diagnostic challenge. It requires accurate assessment of the intra- and extra-cardiac malformations. Three-dimensional imaging by the multislice CT scanner is now a routine investigation for congenital heart disease, complementary to echocardiography, and, increasingly, an alternative to conventional angiography. Three dimensional imaging is particularly useful in the diagnosis of complex congenital heart disease, in the preparation of complex investigations of interventional cardiac catheterisation and the postoperative evaluation of surgical repair. This report describes the different acquisition protocols adapted for children and illustrates the present role of volumic CT scanner in congenital heart disease by clinical examples of everyday clinical practice.