Diagnostic Cardiac Catheterization in the Pediatric Population

Although the utility of diagnostic cardiac catheterization in the clinical setting has diminished over the last years, due to the emergence of noninvasive imaging modalities, such as echocardiography, magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography, catheterization for diagnostic reasons still constitutes a valuable tool in certain parts in the workup of pediatric heart disease. As a result, awareness of the main aspects of diagnostic catheterization is of great importance for the clinical cardiologist. In this article, the main variables measured and the main actions performed during diagnostic cardiac catheterization in children are discussed.