Plain chest radiography of congenital heart disease in adults.

The plain chest radiograph can be an invaluable aid in the diagnosis of congenital heart disease in adults. Evaluation of the chest radiograph is made simpler and more accurate by the use of a systematic approach based on physiology. In many instances, a definitive diagnosis can be made; in others, only a differential diagnosis can be arrived at. The majority of adults with congenital heart disease will have some telltale abnormality on the chest radiograph that will occasionally furnish the first clue to the presence of a congenital anomaly.