Your child’s physician may have heard a heart murmur during a physical examination, and referred your child to a pediatric cardiologist for a diagnosis. A heart murmur is simply a noise caused by the turbulence of blood flowing through the obstruction. Symptoms your child exhibits will also help with the diagnosis.

A pediatric cardiologist specializes in the diagnosis and medical management of congenital heart defects, as well as heart problems that may develop later in childhood. The cardiologist will perform a physical examination, listening to your child’s heart and lungs, and make other observations that help in the diagnosis. The location within the chest that the murmur is heard best, as well as the loudness and quality of the murmur (harsh, blowing, etc.) will give the cardiologist an initial idea of which heart problem your child may have.

Diagnostic testing for congenital heart disease varies by the child’s age, clinical condition, and institutional preferences.  Some tests that may be recommended include the following:

• chest x-ray – diagnostic test which uses invisible X-ray energy beams to produce images of internal tissues, bones, and organs onto film.
• electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) – a test that records the electrical activity of the heart, shows abnormal rhythms (arrhythmias or dysrhythmias), and detects heart muscle damage.
• echocardiogram (echo) – a procedure that evaluates the structure and function of the heart by using sound waves recorded on an electronic sensor that produce a moving picture of the heart and heart valves. The vast majority of aortic coarctations are diagnosed by echocardiography.
• cardiac catheterization (cath)  – a diagnostic procedure that uses threading a catheter through the arteries and veins of the groin and advancing this catheter up to the heart. Dye is squirted into the heart and aorta and pictures are taken of the anatomy. Catheterization may also be used to repair the coarctation if the child is big enough.
• magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) – a diagnostic procedure that uses a combination of large magnets, radiofrequencies, and a computer to produce detailed images of organs and structures within the body.