Congenital Heart Disease
Alternate Names : Congenital Heart Defects
How is the disease diagnosed?
The physical exam usually makes the doctor suspect CHD.
There are many tests that can help diagnose CHD. These include:
an EKG,
which measures the electrical activity of the heart
a chest X-ray,
which allows the doctor to see the size and position of the heart
an echocardiogram,
which is a test that uses sound waves to see the beating heart. This test can
check how well the heart is beating and also makes many heart defects visible.
a cardiac catheterization,
which allows measurement of blood flow and pressure within the heart
and great vessels
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