Tissue Doppler echocardiography in children with acquired or congenital heart disease

The introduction of tissue Doppler imaging into the echocardiographic evaluation of children with acquired or congenital heart disease has been received with much enthusiasm. Because of the unusual ventricular geometries often present in patients with congenital heart disease, quantitative non-invasive imaging strategies to evaluate ventricular performance, either global or regional, have been lacking. Tissue Doppler echocardiography affords the echocardiographer a non-geometric quantitative measure of both systolic and diastolic ventricular function that is easily obtained, reproducible and clinically valid. This paper reviews the development of tissue Doppler echocardiography and its clinical applications in children with acquired or congenital heart disease.