Functional Evaluation of the Heart

Abstract

The noninvasive echocardiographic evaluation of ventricular performance is an essential tool in the clinician’s assessment and management of children and adults with congenital heart disease (CHD). However, the unique anatomic and physiologic features in these patients, which include nonstandard ventricular geometries as well as variable loading conditions, can make the quantitative assessment of ventricular function challenging, particularly by transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). Newer echocardiographic methods are enabling more accurate and quantitative evaluation of ventricular performance, both by the transthoracic as well as transesophageal approach. This chapter discusses the current applications of TEE in the evaluation of ventricular function in patients with CHD.