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

background and objective: 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 x-ray 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 2013-2014. the data obtained were analyzed with spss-17. the mean difference test was used to compare the quantitative variables. p-values less than 0.05 were considered significant. findings: fifty-two patients (52%) were male. their mean age was 4.54  1.22 (0-108) months, and the patients’ mean weight was 4.38  0.34 (1.25-27) 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 x-ray 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 x-ray. conclusion: according to the results, chest radiography cannot be referred to as a test to confirm or rule-out 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.