The hows and whys of intraoperative imaging

Extract

The detail of cardiac morphology, with its subtle complexity and variation, is difficult to convey to colleagues and families, and even more time-consuming to learn. The terminology is occasionally unresolved, visual representations challenging, and there is often a mismatch between the presentation of the defect by the morphologist, the echocardiographic impression gained by the cardiologist, and the view obtained by the surgeon in the operating room. It can be said, therefore, that size, complexity and three-dimensional configuration, the three most important concepts to grasp when describing the congenitally malformed heart, are seldom touched upon with traditional illustrations or texts.