64-slice multidetector-row computed tomographic angiography for evaluating congenital heart disease.

This study aimed to assess critically the role of 64-slice multidetector-row computed tomographic (MDCT) angiography for evaluating congenital heart disease. The study enrolled 60 consecutive patients (median age, 4.7 years; median weight, 16.5 kg) with congenital heart disease who underwent 64-slice MDCT angiography during the period June 2006 through September 2007. The results were classified as diagnostic categories, and the impact of the procedure on strategizing management was critically analyzed. In each of the groups, the current technique offered a clear advantage over conventional imaging and provided specific clues for surgical/interventional management. A management algorithm was evolved based on questions frequently asked about pulmonary artery anatomy. The correlation with surgical anatomy in all cases that involved surgery was excellent. Early results suggest that 64-slice MDCT angiography is a major breakthrough in cardiovascular imaging with an important diagnostic and decision-aiding role. Diagnostic cardiac catheterization, especially for evaluating great vessel anomalies, could be largely replaced by the described technique for congenital heart disease.