CT-Based Essential Cardiac Anatomy for Radiology Residents to Understand Congenital Heart Disease

ABSTRACT

Congenital heart disease is often associated with severe clinical presentations demanding prompt imaging diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Therefore, radiologists, particularly radiology residents, should be familiar with essential cardiac anatomy in order to diagnose congenital heart disease. In our clinical practice, cardiac anatomy is commonly depicted on CT images acquired with state-of-the art CT imaging techniques; however, the related imaging findings may be overlooked due to lack of attention, experience, or knowledge. It is partly due to the fact that CT-based illustration of cardiac anatomy to help understand congenital heart disease is currently scarce. In this article, cardiac imaging planes; crucial anatomical landmarks; morphological features of cardiac chambers, septa, and valves; and connections of cardiac segments are illustrated using cardiac CT images to facilitate understanding of congenital heart disease.