Comprehensive Cardiac Imaging

The MUSC Children's Health Pediatric and Congenital Heart Center is one of the few pediatric centers to offer state-of-the-art programs in both cardiac (CT) and cardiac (cMRI).

Echocardiography Cardiac CT & Cardiac MRI

Our comprehensive imaging laboratory is a state-of-the-art program focused on imaging needs ranging from the complex fetus to the adult with congenital heart disease. We specialize in echocardiography, cardiac CT and cardiac MRI in patients with congenital heart disease and children with acquired heart disease.

Our echocardiography lab and advanced imaging service is staffed by highly trained physicians, sonographers, and technicians with equipment and imaging techniques designed to provide the bestanatomic and functional details on our patients. Our commitment is to provide the highest quality care and diagnostic imaging, not only to our individual patients but to our team of dedicated physicians, surgeons and anesthesiologists caring for your children and family.

Echocardiography

Echocardiography (heart ultrasound) is a way to image the heart. It is the most commonly used method to diagnose as well as exclude congenital and acquired heart disease from fetal life up through adulthood. Echocardiograms provide pediatric cardiologists and cardiac surgeons with images of anatomic abnormalities of the heart as well as information about heart muscle function, heart valve function, and blood flow and pressures in the heart chambers. In addition to routine and 3-D transthoracic (ultrasound on the chest) echocardiography, our lab has expert capabilities in fetal echocardiography exercise stress echocardiography and transesophageal (imaging through the esophagus) echocardiography (TEE).

The Pediatric Echocardiography Laboratory

• Dedicated to providing the best cardiac imaging available
• Performs more than 10,000 echocardiograms per year
• Enjoys national recognition for excellence in diagnostic capabilities
• Has been one of a select group of pediatric echocardiography laboratories with continuous accreditation by the Intersocietal Commission for Accreditation of Echocardiography Laboratories (IAC) since 2001
• Has a staff of twelve specialized pediatric echosonographers and seven pediatric cardiology imaging specialists
• Provides expert imaging guidance during procedures in the cardiac catheterization laboratory and operating room using transesophageal echocardiography
• Specialized pediatric sonographers cover fetal echo in the Advanced Fetal Care Center
• Works closely with our pediatric cardiac anesthesia care team members to provide sedation services for echocardiograms when needed
• Uses the added information from 3-D imaging in repairing complex heart defects
• Participates in local and national research projects, including many studies through the Pediatric Heart Network
• Performs echocardiograms at the MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital as well as a variety of outreach and outpatient clinics

Advanced Cardiac Imaging