Abbreviated Echocardiographic Screening for Rheumatic Heart Disease by Nonexperts with and without Offsite Expert Review: A Diagnostic Accuracy Study

Abstract

Nonexpert practitioner-obtained single parasternal long-axis view with a sweep of the heart images, reviewed by an offsite expert, can detect borderline and definite RHD on screening with reasonable sensitivity and specificity. Brief training of nonexpert practitioners with ongoing support could be used as an effective strategy for scaling up echocardiographic screening for RHD in high-risk settings.