日本小児循環器学会雑誌 Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery

Echocardiography is a powerful diagnostic tool that can provide real-time cardiac evaluation. This modality can be used at anytime and anywhere, from the bedside to the operating room. Treatment decisions frequently rely on the results of echocardiographic evaluations, because, inaccurate results may lead in the wrong direction. Recently, methods for not only morphological diagnosis but also functional analysis have been established. Although these indicators are also used in children, the features of pediatric echocardiography include the changes in normal values due to growth and a wide spectrum of cardiac anatomy. This study provides an overview of pediatric echocardiography from a daily clinical perspective.