[Follow-up of surgically treated congenital heart disease using Doppler echocardiography]. / Surveillance par échocardiographie Doppler des cardiopathies congénitales opérées.

ABSTRACT

Surgery can restore normal cardiac anatomy in some forms of congenital heart disease but in others this is not possible even after a "complete correction". In yet other forms, surgery is only palliative. Echocardiography coupled with pulsed, continuous wave and color coded Doppler should be carried out after clinical, electrocardiographic and radiological examination to assess the surgical results and detect possible complications in the short or long-term. It is therefore important to be familiar with the "normal" appearances of operated congenital heart disease in order to be able to detect postoperative abnormalities. The authors describe the normal postoperative findings for each form of congenital abnormality and the changes which may be observed during Doppler echocardiographic examination. This paper only deals with the more simple malformations ventricular septal defect, atrial septal defect, atrioventricular canal, patent ductus arteriosus, coarctation of the aorta, aortic stenosis, tetralogy of Fallot and simple transposition of the great vessels.