Sensitivity and Specificity of Cardiomegaly according to Chest X-ray Indices in the Diagnosis of Congenital Heart Disease in Infants

Background: Early diagnosis of congenital heart disease (CHD) has a significant impact on the prognosis of the patient. This study aimed to determine the sensitivity and specificity of cardiomegaly according to Chest X-ray (CXR) indices in comparison with echocardiography in the diagnosis of CHD in infants. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the clinical status of 166 infants aged 2 to 24 months who referred to the Pediatric Ward of Afzalipour Hospital in Kerman and needed CXR for any reason, was evaluated from November 2019 to November 2020. CXR and echocardiography were performed for all infants by a pediatric cardiologist and the probability of CHD was confirmed or ruled out. Therefore, the sensitivity and explicitness of CXR were determined. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. Results: The most common anomalies observed in infants were Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), atrial septal defect (ASD), ventricular septal defect (VSD) and pulmonary stenosis (PS), respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of CXR, for determining cardiomegaly in these infants were 65.7%, 51.1%, 26.4%, and 84.8%, respectively. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the sensitivity and specificity of CXR for determining cardiomegaly were 65.7% and 51.1%, respectively. Therefore, when echocardiography is not available, the chances of finding congenital heart abnormalities with the help of CXR will be quite high.