Echocardiographic evaluation of valvar and shunt lesions in children.

An evaluation of valvar and shunt lesions in children is directed toward appraising the need for, and timing of, surgical repair or palliation as well as demonstrating the cardiac anatomy which will, in turn, direct the type of surgery to be chosen. Static dimension measurements as well as dynamic measurements of wall velocity and time intervals are atraumatic and easily obtained values that increase our sensitivity to early cardiac decompensation. Contrast studies add both functional and anatomic information. Although one-dimensional time-motion scanning remains an invaluable source of anatomic detail, two-dimensional imaging has made positional information clearer and more reliable. The combined use of these three techniques offers the most complete evaluation of children with volume and pressure overload lesions.