Key Echocardiographic Features • Investigate for heart size (cardiothoracic ratio). • Investigate systolic function, qualitative and quantitative (myocardial performance index, shortening fraction). • Look for evidence of pericardial effusion or…
Key Echocardiographic Features • Enlarged heart, but with relatively preserved systolic function. • No other obvious explanation as to why the heart is enlarged. • Both right and left side…
Key Echocardiographic Features • Displacement of the cardiac position. • Small left ventricle cavity volume. • Assess mitral valve annulus and aortic annulus, which may be of normal size despite…
Key Echocardiographic Features • Identify the presence, position, and location of the ductus arteriosus as originating from the confluence of the branch pulmonary arteries off of the main pulmonary artery…
Key Echocardiographic Features • Presence of monochorionic pregnancy in which one twin has a primitive, ineffective heart. • Direction of flow in the umbilical artery is from placenta to fetus…
Key Echocardiographic Features • Identify the location of the abdominal organs (stomach and liver) and determine situs. • Identify the position of the heart in the chest (levocardia or dextrocardia)….
Key Echocardiographic Features • Lucency in the lung with color flow imaging highlighting increased flow within the lucency. • Dilated pulmonary veins and selective dilation of the left side of…
Key Echocardiographic Features • Patency of the tricuspid valve • Size of the right ventricle • Size and location of the ventricular septal defect, which directs blood into the right…
Key Echocardiographic Features • Determine the nature of the heart relationship as being either two separate beating hearts or a single cardiac amalgam. • If two separate hearts, identify the…
Key Echocardiographic Features • Assess for the morphology of the larger ventricle (left ventricle). • Identify the atrioventricular valve connections to the left ventricle, and assess size and degree of…
