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Tests and diagnosis
By Mayo Clinic staff
Before birth
With advances in ultrasound technology, it's possible for a baby to be diagnosed in utero with hypoplastic left heart syndrome before he or she is born. Doctors often can identify the condition on a routine ultrasound exam during pregnancy, sometimes as early as during the first trimester.
After birth
After your baby is born, his or her doctor may suspect a heart defect, such as hypoplastic left heart syndrome, if your baby has gray-blue skin or has trouble breathing. Your baby's doctor may also suspect a heart defect if he or she hears a heart murmur — an abnormal whooshing sound caused by turbulent blood flow.
Doctors typically use an echocardiogram to diagnose hypoplastic left heart syndrome. This test uses high-pitched sound waves that bounce off your baby's heart to produce moving images that can be viewed on a video screen. In a baby with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, the echocardiogram reveals a smaller than normal left ventricle and aorta. Because this test can track blood flow, it also shows blood moving from the right ventricle into the aorta (retrograde flow). In addition, an echocardiogram can identify associated heart defects, such as an atrial septal defect.
