Echocardiography Segmental Approach to Complex Congenital Heart Disease in the Neonate

A segmental echocardiographic approach to complex congenital heart disease in the neonate allows accurate and precise assessment of intracardiac, as well as extracardiac, anomalies. Determination of abnormalities of atrial and visceral situs, as well as the cardiac situs, provides a fundamental background for the echocardiographic examination. Subsequently, a segmental approach allows precise determination of abnormalities of atrioventricular and ventricular great artery connections. Recent echocardiographic advances including high-frequency (7.5 and 10 MHz) and color flow imaging capabilities have dramatically improved our ability to accurately define abnormalities of anatomy and connection in the neonate. These advances now have expanded our previous echocardiographic criteria and allow application of the echocardiographic segmental approach to characterize complex congenital heart disease in the neonate.