Método ouro: Ecocardiografia

The gold standard for noninvasive imaging in congenital heart disease: echocardiography
Mertens, Luc; Friedberg, Mark K
Issue:
Volume 24(2), March 2009, p 119–124
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Purpose of review: Echocardiography in pediatric and congenital heart disease is a key diagnostic technique in patients with congenital heart disease. Due to new technological developments, it has become a rapidly evolving field.

Recent findings: In this review, we focus on recent developments in standardization and validation of standard techniques in pediatric and congenital echocardiography. This is mainly related to standardization of image acquisition and normalization of measurements for body size. The rest of the review is focused on the application of three-dimensional echocardiography, tissue Doppler imaging and Speqle tracking techniques to pediatric heart disease.

Summary: New developments in standardization of echocardiography, the introduction of three-dimensional echocardiography and new functional techniques such as tissue Doppler and Speqle tracking strengthen the position of pediatric echocardiography as the most important diagnostic tool for patients with congenital heart disease.
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Apesar da maioria dos leitores do blog não se dedicarem ao eco infantil, existe farta documentação que coloca o método como absoluto.
No Brasil, temos expoentes na área, algums já estabelecidas, outros em evolução.
Devo ter feito uns 5 000 exames em crianças, que agora são raros pra mim. Foi muito importante por um tempo, permitiu que eu fosse um ecocardiografista difícil de substituir.
E ser difícil de substituir, lembrando que insubstituível ninguém é, é a melhor garantia de emprego no meio médico.