This is the fourth edition of this comprehensive reference textbook, originally published in 1968. In subsequent editions in 1977 and 1983, the contents were updated and new chapters added commensurate with the advances in the field of pediatric cardiology.
The current edition is divided into sections including general cardiology, congenital defects, infectious diseases, connective tissue and metabolic and degenerative diseases, and special problems. The chapter on fetal and neonatal circulation has been updated. The chapter on echocardiography has been extensively revised with particular emphasis on Doppler ultrasound techniques. A discussion of magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography has been added. The modalities of interventional cardiology, including cardiac catheterization and angiocardiography, have been updated with particular emphasis on electrophysiology, myocardial biopsy, and interventional therapeutic cardiology. A new chapter on congenital heart disease in the adult has been added. New expert contributors have updated the chapters on rheumatic fever and atherosclerosis.