Shunt detection and measurement

Detection, localization, and quantification of intracardiac shunts are an integral part of the hemodynamic evaluation of patients with congenital heart disease. In most cases, an intracardiac shunt is suspected on the basis of the clinical evaluation of the patient prior to catheterization. However, there are several circumstances in which data obtained at catheterization should alert the cardiologist to look for a shunt that previously had not been suspected