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Introduction to Congenital Heart Disease Anatomy

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Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Congenital Heart Disease

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Abstract

Imaging of the complex anatomy associated with many forms of congenital heart disease (CHD) requires knowledge of the morphology of the various cardiac chambers and extra-cardiac vessels. For the cardiac diagnostician, assembling together the pieces of disordered anatomy is best done with the so-called “segmental approach.” This approach breaks down the cardiovascular anatomy sequentially, considering first the position of the abdominal viscera, next the cardiac atria, then the looping pattern of the ventricles, and finally, the position of the semilunar valves and great arteries. In this manner, the various forms of CHD may be precisely identified and the proper management applied by the clinician. The large unrestricted field of view, coupled with three-dimensional multiplanar reconstruction and volume rendering capability, as well as the lack of ionizing radiation exposure to the patient, make cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) the ideal imaging modality for the initial evaluation and serial follow-up of patients with CHD. This holds particularly true for adult and post-operative patients who may have suboptimal echocardiographic imaging windows. This chapter introduces the segmental approach to the diagnosis of CHD. Each “segment” of the cardiovascular system is described with particular attention paid to the distinguishing features of normal structures so that abnormal features may be more clearly identified. Salient examples of pathology in each segment are also presented with their relevant clinical features.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Pierangelo Renella M.D. & J. Paul Finn M.D.

  2. Department of Pediatric Cardiology, UC-Irvine College of Medicine, Children’s Hospital Orange County, 200 S. Main Street, Suite 200, Orange, CA, 92868, USA

    Pierangelo Renella M.D.

  3. University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Peter V. Ueberroth Building, Suite 3371, 10945 Le Conte Avenue, Los Angeles, CA, 90095-7206, USA

    Pierangelo Renella M.D. & J. Paul Finn M.D.

  4. Department of Radiology, Diagnostic Cardiovascular Imaging Section, UCLA, Ueberroth Building, 10945 Le Conte Avenue, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA

    J. Paul Finn M.D.

Authors
  1. Pierangelo Renella M.D.
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  2. J. Paul Finn M.D.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Pierangelo Renella M.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University Chicago, S. First Ave. 2160, Maywood, 60153, Illinois, USA

    Mushabbar A. Syed

  2. Magnetic Resonance Unit, Royal Brompton Hospital, Sydney Street, London, SW3 6NP, United Kingdom

    Raad H. Mohiaddin

3.1 Electronic Supplementary Material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Balanced AVCD (MOV 1328 KB)

218193_1_En_3_MOESM2_ESM.mov

RAA with Ab LSCA (MOV 3376 KB)

218193_1_En_3_MOESM3_ESM.mov

3D VR full body infant angiogram – CoA (MOV 2376)

Movie 3.2

RAA with Ab LSCA (MOV 3376 KB)

Movie 3.3

3D VR full body infant angiogram – CoA (MOV 2376)

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© 2012 Springer-Verlag London

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Renella, P., Finn, J.P. (2012). Introduction to Congenital Heart Disease Anatomy. In: Syed, M., Mohiaddin, R. (eds) Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Congenital Heart Disease. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-4267-6_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-4267-6_3

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4471-4266-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4471-4267-6

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