COLOR DOPPLER IMAGING OF MODIFIED BLALOCK-TAUSSIG SHUNTS DURING INFANCY

To assess the role of color Doppler echocardiography in the early post operative evaluation of patients with a Blalock-Taussig shunt we exami ned 13 consecutive infants who underwent insertion of either a modifie d right (6 patients) or a modified left (7 patients) Blalock-Taussig s hunt (age range 7 days to 6 months, mean age 8 weeks). Examination of the patients in a high parasternal right or left long axis was able to determine patency of the shunt in 12 patients. In the remaining patie nt, who did not show flow in the shunt, complete occlusion of the shun t was confirmed by angiography. From subcostal views we were able to d emonstrate patency of the shunt in 75% of the infants and in all patie nts younger than 4 weeks of age. In our experience color Doppler echoc ardiography is a highly reliable method for early postoperative evalua tion of infants with a Blalock-Taussig shunt.