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Tests and diagnosis
By Mayo Clinic staff
Before birth
It's possible for a baby to be diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome while it's still in the womb. Your doctor may be able to identify the condition on a routine ultrasound exam during the second trimester of pregnancy.
After birth
After your baby is born, his or her doctor may suspect a heart defect, such as hypoplastic left heart syndrome, if your baby has grayish-blue skin or has trouble breathing. Your baby's doctor may also suspect a heart defect if he or she hears a heart murmur — an abnormal whooshing sound caused by turbulent blood flow.
Doctors typically use an echocardiogram to diagnose hypoplastic left heart syndrome. This test uses high-pitched sound waves that bounce off your baby's heart to produce moving images that can be viewed on a video screen. In a baby with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, the echocardiogram reveals a smaller than normal left ventricle and aorta. Because this test can track blood flow, it also shows blood moving from the right ventricle into the aorta. In addition, an echocardiogram can identify associated heart defects, such as an atrial septal defect.
- Marshall A. Hypoplastic left heart syndrome. http://www.uptodate.com/index. Accessed June 27, 2012.
- Facts about hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/heartdefects/HLHS.html. Accessed July 24, 2012.
- Brenner JI, et al. Hypoplastic left heart syndrome and other left heart disease: Evolution of understanding from population-based analysis to molecular biology and back again — A brief overview. Cardiology in the Young. 2011;21:23.
- Grossfield P, et al. Hypoplastic left heart syndrome: New genetic insights. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2009;53:1072.
- Murtuza B, et al. Changing attitudes to the management of hypoplastic left heart syndrome: A European perspective. Cardiology in the Young. 2011;21:148.
- Said SM, et al. Longer-term issues for young adults with hypoplastic left heart syndrome: Contraception, pregnancy, transition, transfer, counselling, and re-operation. Cardiology in the Young. 2011;21: 93.
- Goldberg CS, et al. Neurodevelopment and quality of life for children with hypoplastic left heart syndrome: Current knowns and unknowns. Cardiology in the Young. 2011;21: 88.
- Waltzman M. Initial evaluation of shock in children. http://www.uptodate.com/index. Accessed June 27, 2012.
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