Table 1 Comparison of echocardiography, CMR, and CT for evaluation of CHD in SSA85

From: Applying artificial intelligence to cardiac MRI to diagnose congenital heart disease in low-resource settings such as Sub-Saharan Africa

Modality

Diagnostic strengths

Limitations

Radiation

Availability in SSA

Echocardiography

First-line for structural defects; real-time functional assessment

Limited field of view; operator-dependent; suboptimal in older children and adults; suboptimal for larger body size

None

Widely available, especially in urban centers

CMR

Gold standard for tissue characterization and complex anatomy; no ionizing radiation

Limited availability; long scan times; high cost

None

Scarce, mainly in tertiary referral centers

CT

Rapid acquisition; excellent spatial resolution; 3D reconstruction for surgical planning

Radiation exposure; limited functional data; contrast nephropathy risk

Yes

Increasing, but mostly in private facilities

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