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Tests and diagnosis
By Mayo Clinic staffIn order for the pediatric cardiologist to check the condition of your baby's heart and make a diagnosis, he or she will order one or more tests:
Echocardiogram
An echocardiogram shows the structure and function of your baby's heart. With this test, a technician spreads gel on your baby's chest and then presses a device called a transducer against the skin over his or her heart. The transducer emits high-pitched sound waves and records the sound wave echoes as they reflect off internal structures. A computer converts the echoes into moving images on a monitor.
In a baby with truncus arteriosus, the echocardiogram reveals the single large vessel leading from the heart, a hole in the wall between the left and right ventricles, and sometimes an abnormality in the valve between the large vessel and the ventricles.
Because an echocardiogram shows the flow of blood, it may also reveal blood moving back and forth between the two ventricles and the amount of blood flowing to your baby's lungs. The amount of blood can indicate the risk of high blood pressure in the lungs.
X-ray
An X-ray exam uses electromagnetic radiation to produce still images of internal organs and structures. A chest X-ray of your baby can show the size of the heart, abnormalities in the lungs and excess fluid in the lungs.
