Pediatric Diagnostic Cardiac Catheterization

Diagnostic cardiac catheterization continues to be a valuable tool in the assessment of congenital and acquired heart diseases in children. Despite the risks posed by radiation, it remains unparalleled in providing precise blood flow and pressure data and delineating cardiac anatomy through angiography to allow proper medical, interventional, and surgical management of patients. In this chapter, we provide a review of diagnostic cardiac catheterization, with particular attention to how to prepare patients for this procedure, procedural details, how to interpret data obtained, and the potential complications encountered.