Review of new techniques in echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging as applied to patients with congenital heart disease

The technology for both ultrasound and MRI is evolving rapidly. Cardiac ultrasound in the next few years will partition examinations between those examinations which are real time three dimensional based and performed on high end systems, and the vast majority of what we presently do in two dimensional echo which will be done with hand held or desk top systems. We have spent extra efforts in this review to detail in more depth the major advances in MRI for cardiology since the readership of this supplement is likely be less familiar with those. The speed and resolution of MRI now makes it competitive for cardiac imaging in some ways superior. The issue for cardiologists and echocardiographers is the training in basic MRI physics and applications that will qualify them to participate actively in the performance and interpretation of the studies of the patients they refer. The expense of MRI equipment will in most centres mandate joint use by radiologists, cardiologists, and other specialists. Nonetheless, for MRI to achieve its potential capabilities in clinical cardiology, an active investment by cardiologists to achieve expertise is mandated.