What Are Some Radiographic Signs of Congenital Heart Disease?

Discussion Total anomalous pulmonary venous return causes snowman sign on a chest x-ray. The pulmonary veins fail to connect normally to the left atrium. Alternate pathways direct flow to the right atrium and then across an atrial communication. The admixture of blood at the atrial level and the right to left atrial shunt result in the cyanosis. It may present at birth because of obstruction to the pulmonary veins. “Characteristic heart shapes in patients with congenital heart disease are often due to long standing hemodynamic changes and are therefore less commonly seen today on [chest x-ray] because patients with congenital heart disease are often diagnosed and treated so early in the disease process.” Learning Point Examples of characteristic congenital heart diseases on chest x-ray include: Box-shaped – Ebstein’s anomaly – heart takes up most of the thoracic diameter, there is “wall-to-wall” heart Boot – Tetralogy of Fallot – upward pointing cardiac apex due to right ventricular hypertrophy Egg on a string / egg on its side – Transposition of the great arteries – the egg shape is caused by abnormal convexity of the right atrial border and left atrial enlargement, with the superior mediastinum appearing narrow due to stress-induced thymic atrophy and hyperinflated lungs Figure of 3 – Coarctation of the aorta – there is prestenotic dilation of the ascending aorta, then coarctation, then post-steno...
Source: PediatricEducation.org - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: news