Evaluation of the Chest Radiograph in Children with Known or Suspected Heart Disease
In this video, Dr. George Taylor outlines the approach to evaluating chest radiographs in children with known or suspected heart disease. Dr. Taylor discusses evaluation of the heart, pulmonary vasculature, airway, and situs of the chest and abdomen.

Learning Objectives
Describe a systematic approach to interpreting pediatric chest radiographs in patients with known or suspected heart disease, including evaluation of cardiac size, pulmonary vasculature, airway structures, situs, and bony anatomy.
Identify radiographic features of cardiac chamber enlargement, cardiomegaly, pericardial effusion, and other cardiac abnormalities, and relate these findings to underlying cardiovascular conditions.
Apply chest radiograph interpretation principles to assess pulmonary vascular patterns, including increased pulmonary blood flow, decreased pulmonary blood flow, pulmonary venous congestion, pulmonary hypertension, and asymmetric pulmonary vascularity.
Analyze chest radiographic findings to differentiate congenital and acquired cardiovascular disorders by integrating cardiac silhouette, pulmonary vascularity, airway displacement, aortic arch position, and associated structural abnormalities.
Evaluate chest radiographs for evidence of complex congenital heart disease and associated extracardiac findings, including vascular rings, coarctation of the aorta, heterotaxy, and skeletal abnormalities, to support diagnostic decision-making.
Author(s)
George Taylor, MD
Staff Researcher | Boston Children's Hospital John A. Kirkpatrick Professor of Radiology (Emeritus) | Harvard Medical School
Citation
Taylor G, Cronin B, Baiu I, Wolbrink TA, DelSignore L. Evaluation of the Chest Radiograph in Children with Known or Suspected Heart Disease. 1/2016. Online Video. OPENPediatrics. https://learn.openpediatrics.org/learn/course/internal/view/elearning/3134/evaluation-of-the-chest-radiograph-in-children-with-known-or-suspected-heart-disease.
