Three-Dimensional Echocardiography in Congenital Heart Disease

Three-dimensional echocardiography (3DE) is a new, rapidly evolving modality for pediatric cardiac imaging. Important technological advances have heralded an era in which practical 3DE scanning is becoming a mainstream modality. This article reviews the applicability of 3DE to congenital heart defects to visualize anatomy in a spectrum of defects ranging from atrioventricular septal defects to mitral valve abnormalities and Ebstein's anomaly. It illustrates the use of 3DE color flow to obtain echocardiographic angiograms and reviews the state of the science in quantitating right and left ventricular volumetrics. In addition, the review provides examples of novel applications including 3DE transesophageal echocardiography and image-guided interventions.