Congenital Heart Disease in Adults

The adult population with congenital heart disease is increasing rapidly. More than 80% of children with congenital heart disease now reach adulthood, with some congenital heart diseases diagnosed for the first time in adults. The operations performed during childhood may have severe residual findings, which need to be repaired. Cardiologists of all subspecialities will meet these patients and should be familiar with the most common problems and the basic principles of care for adults with congenital heart disease.This highly illustrated and well-written text is aimed at cardiologists and internal medical doctors, whether qualified or in-training, who are not specialized in the field of congenital heart disease, and will, nevertheless, meet these patients more and more often in their daily practice. The complicated subject of congenital heart disease is written in a very simple, easy and comprehensive way. The purpose is to give a brief overview of the morphology, physiology, diagnostic methods, therapy and prognosis of the most common congenital heart disease in adulthood.Echocardiography is a superior method for diagnosing congenital heart disease in adulthood. However, the echocardiographer has to know what to look for, to recognize basic disease patterns, otherwise he will miss the diagnosis. Adult Congenital Heart Disease contains many excellent drawings and echocardiographic documentation with practical suggestions. All the echocardiograms come from routine examination and only from adults, whose examination is often much more difficult than that of the children.