diagnostic value of chest radiography in pediatric cardiovascular diseases: a retrospective study in tabriz, northwest of iran

Chest x-ray is usually the first radiography performed for a newborn. this test is easily accessible and yet a basic screening method. different results have been reported in various studies regarding the diagnostic value of chest xray in cardiovascular disease in children. materials and methods: the study was carried out retrospectively using the medical files of 100 patients under 15 years of age who were referred to tabriz children’s hospital during 20132014. the data obtained were analyzed with spss17. the mean difference test was used to compare the quantitative variables. pvalues less than 0.05 were considered significant. findings: fiftytwo patients (52%) were male. their mean age was 4.54  1.22 (0108) months, and the patients’ mean weight was 4.38  0.34 (1.2527) kg. cardiovascular examination and radiology report were negative in 70% and 57% of the patients, respectively, while cardiologic assessments revealed cardiovascular problems in 70% of the cases. the diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity, and the positive and negative predictive value of chest xray in this study were 61%, 80%, 53%, 86%, and 42%, respectively. in addition, gender, age, weight, the presence or absence of clinical signs, and the type of cardiovascular disease had no effect on the diagnostic accuracy of chest xray. conclusion: according to the results, chest radiography cannot be referred to as a test to confirm or ruleout cardiovascular disease in children. therefore, when a cardiovascular disease is suspected in physical examination, echocardiography can be recommended without a need for chest x-ray.