What is echocardiography for children?

An echocardiogram (“echo”) is an ultrasound test or examination that uses sound waves to view the heart. This test is safe, painless and without radiation. During the procedure, images of the baby's heart can be seen on a small monitor. Echocardiography is similar to ultrasound that many women do before the birth of a child. However, echo is specifically focused on the heart and cardiac blood vessels.

How is echocardiography of children performed?

The child will be placed on one side on the hospital bed in the examination room. Many test rooms are equipped with televisions to keep the child entertained. The child's clothes should be removed from the waist and he can wear a medical gown. To improve the quality of children's heart echo images, a colorless and warm gel is applied to the skin on the chest area where the heart is located. The transducer, a small device like a microphone, is placed on the gel and skin. The transducer uses sound waves to take pictures of different parts of the baby's heart. The transducer can be moved to obtain images on the chest, abdomen and neck area. The sounds you may hear from the echo machine are the sounds of blood flowing from one chamber to another. Valves open or close as blood moves through the heart. The colors you see on the screen. They are not the color of blood. Colors tell us in which direction the blood flows. The red color indicates that the blood is flowing towards the transducer. The blue color indicates that the blood is flowing in the opposite direction of the transducer. The child may feel discomfort from the pressure of the transducer. But the doctor can reduce this pain and sensitivity with his expertise. A computer interprets the information from the transducer to display an image of the heart on the screen. This image is recorded in a digital storage system so that the pediatric cardiologist can measure and check it.

Types of echocardiography in children

In general, there are two methods of echocardiography in children. Transthoracic and esophageal terrace ### Transthoracic Transthoracic or echo from the chest, which is the same as the usual echoes that are performed in offices, clinics and other medical centers. Its application is very wide, from the first steps in the diagnosis of heart diseases on an outpatient basis to the use in special departments of children and infants, and even the post-operative investigations of heart surgeries are carried out from the time of leaving the operating room to the years after the operation to follow up recovery and postoperative complications. ### Transesophageal Transesophageal or echo is through the esophagus. In this method, like an endoscopy, a probe or a device transducer is inserted into the esophagus through the mouth, and heart images are checked in the vicinity of the heart through the esophagus wall. This echo method is only done in special cases; For example, in cases where the exact diagnosis has not yet been determined with transthoracic echo, or in cases where echo from the chest is practically impossible during special surgeries, the heart is checked through the esophagus. This procedure is performed only in well-equipped hospital centers and by experienced pediatric heart specialists in the operating room. During this type of echo, the child is anesthetized by anesthesiologists. Anesthesiologists monitor the child's vital signs and condition from the beginning to the end. Related article When is ECG prescribed in children?

Use cases of pediatric echo

Echocardiography is usually the best test to show the structure and function of heart components. This test is used to measure the size and thickness of the heart chambers and how the heart copes with pumping blood through the heart valves. It can also detect structural abnormalities of the heart (holes between the chambers, fluid around the heart, mass inside the heart, etc.) and show the shape, movement, narrowness or backward flow of the valves.

Preparing the child

If your child is 4 years old or younger, they may need to be sedated for the echo. A mild sleep medication is used, which is usually taken orally. The child's stomach must be empty before receiving sedatives. You should also follow the instructions below. These instructions are:

Who performs and interprets the echo?