Norman H. Silverman Biosketch

Dr. Norman H. Silverman began his medical career at the University of California at San Francisco in 1974.  His pioneering work at UCSF established echocardiography as a preferred diagnosis in pediatric cardiology supplanting more invasive catheterization methods.  

He was the first to define the echocardiographic criteria for diagnosing patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in premature infants.  His research also was the first to define the four-chamber view that is the bases for the non-invasive diagnosis of a wide variety of cardiac anomalies and is considered essential in all echocardiographic studies today.  He also introduced transesophageal echocardiography as a standard for managing intra-operative repair of children with congenital heart disease.  These observations changed and methods continue to influence how we manage congenital heart disease around the world. 

Dr. Silverman is a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatrics and a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology. He is a past president of The Society of Pediatric Echocardiography, and an active member of the American Pediatric Society.  He is currently on the editorial board of Echocardiographyand Cardiology in the Youngand is a frequent invited speaker at echocardiography and congenital heart disease meetings and workshops worldwide.  He is an author on more than 260 peer reviewed articles and six books.  Publishing since 1970, his articles can be found in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Cardiology in the Young, Circulation, Pediatric Cardiologyamong others. He has Published 8 books. The third edition of his book, Fetal Cardiology: Embryology, Genetics, Physiology, Echocardiographic Evaluation, Diagnosis and Perinatal Management of Cardiac Diseaseswas published in 2020.

He has publishing and electronic book with Professor Robert Anderson Diane Spicer and Philip Ursell on Echo morphological correlations ins congenital heart disease, which is available on the [email protected]

He received his undergraduate degrees and his medical training at the University of the Witwatersrand, in Johannesburg South Africa.  In 1985, he received his degree as a Doctor of Science in Medicine for his echocardiographic studies of congenital heart disease from the University of the Witwatersrand.  In 2002, he moved to Stanford University and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital as a Professor of Pediatrics where he is also The Roma and Marvin Auerback Scholar in Pediatric Cardiology.  At the Hospital’s Heart Center, he continues his research, writing and teaching.  In April of 2008, in recognition of his life-long dedication to teaching and education The American Society of Echocardiography honored him with their Award for Excellence in Teaching in Pediatrics. This only the second time the Society has made this award.

Over the past four decades he has built a national and international reputation that is centered on teaching and mentoring fellow physicians and on innovation in techniques and diagnoses.  He is one of a few world-wide leaders who advanced the development of two-dimensional Doppler- and fetal echocardiography.  His research continues to focus on the clinical outcomes of medical and surgical management of congenital heart disease.  He remains dedicated to the field and passionate about advancing treatment techniques in pediatric cardiology.

Most significant publications :

1. Heymann MA, Rudolph AM, Silverman NH. Closure of the ductus arteriosus in premature infants by inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis. N Engl J Med1976; 295:530–3.
2. Roge CL, Silverman NH, Hart PA, Ray RM. Cardiac structure growth pattern determined by echocardiography. Circulation1978; 57:285–90.
3. Silverman NH, Schiller NB. Apex echocardiography: A two-dimensional technique for evaluating congenital heart disease. Circulation 1978; 7:503.
4. Silverman NH, Ports TA, Snider AR, Schiller NB, Carlsson E, Heilbron DC. Determination of left ventricular volume in children: Echocardiographic and angiographic comparisons. Circulation 1980; 662:548.
5. Silverman NH, Kleinman CS, Rudolph AM, Copel JA, Weinstein EM, Enderlein M. Golbus M. Fetal atrioventricular valve insufficiency associated with nonimmune hydrops: a two-dimensional echocardiographic and pulsed Doppler ultrasound study. Circulation, 1985; 72:825–32.
6. Ramaciotti C, Keren A, Silverman NH. Importance of (perimembranous) ventricular Septal aneurysm in the natural history of isolated perimembranous ventricular septal defect. Am JCardiol, 1986; 57:268–72.
7. Silverman NH, de Araujo LML. An echocardiographic method for the diagnosis of cardiac situs and malpositions. Echocardiography, 1987;4:35–57
8. Van Hare GF, Schmidt KG, Cassidy SC, Gooding CA, Silverman NH. Color Doppler flow mapping in the ultrasound diagnosis of total anomalous pulmonary venous connection. J Am Soc Echo1988; 1:341–7.
9. Schmidt KG, Silverman NH, Harrison MR, Callen PW. High-output cardiac failure in fetuses with large sacrococcygeal teratoma: diagnosis by echocardiography and Doppler ultrasound. J Pediatr1989; 114:1023–8.
10. Roberson DA, Silverman NH. Ebstein’s anomaly: echocardiographic and clinical features in the fetus and neonate. J Am Coll Cardiol1989; 14:1300–7.
11. Muhiudeen IA, Roberson DA, Silverman NH, Haas G, Turley K, Cahalan MK. Intraoperative echocardiography in infants and children with congenital cardiac shunt lesions: transesophageal versus epicardial echocardiography. J Am Coll Cardiol1990; 16:1687–95.
12. Schmidt KG, Silverman NH, Van Hare GF, Hawkins JA, Cloez J-L, Rudolph AM. Two- dimensional echocardiographic determination of ventricular volumes in the fetal heart:  validation studies in fetal lambs. Circulation1990; 81:325–33.
13. Ciricillo SF, Edwards MSB, Schmidt KG, Hieshima GB, Silverman NH, Higashida RT, Halbach VV. Interventional neuroradiological management of vein of Galen malformations in the neontate. Neurosurgery 1990; 27:22–8.
14. Roberson DA, Muhiudeen IA, Silverman NH. Transesophageal echocardiography in pediatrics: techniques and limitations. Echocardiography1990; 7(6):699–712.
15. Sigfusson G, Ettedgui JA, Silverman NH, Anderson RH. Is a cleft in the anterior leaflet of an otherwise normal mitral valve an atrioventricular canal malformation? J Am CollCardiol 1995; 26:508–15.
16. Bernstein HS, Moore P, Stanger P, Silverman NH. The levoatriocardinal vein: morphology and echocardiographic identification of the pulmonary-systemic connection. J Am Coll Cardiol 1995; 26:995–1001.
17. Ciotti, GR,Vlahos AP, Silverman NH. Morphology and Function of the Bicuspid Aortic Valve with and without coarctation of the aorta in the young. Am J Cardiol, 2006; 98:1096–102.
18. Friedberg MK, Silverman NH. Cardiac ventricular diastolic and systolic duration in children with heart failure secondary to idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. Am J Cardiol,2006; 97: 1: 101–5.
19. Friedberg MK, Silverman NH, Dubin AM, Rosenthal DN.Mechanical dyssynchrony in children with systolic dysfunction secondary to cardiomyopathy: A Doppler tissue and vector velocity imaging study: J Am Soc Echocardiography,2007; 20:756–63.
20. Sarnari R, Yousef Kamal R, Friedberg MK, Silverman NH.Doppler Assessment of the Ratio of the Systolic to Diastolic Duration in Normal Children: Relation to Heart Rate, Age and Body Surface Area. J Am Soc Echocardiogr2009; 22: 928–32.
21. Punn Rajesh and Silverman NH. Cardic Segmental analysis in Left Ventricular Noncompaction: Experience in a Pediatric Population. Journal of the American Society of EchocardiographyJan. 2010; 23 (1): 46-53.
22. Punn R, Silverman NH “Fetal predictors of urgent balloon atrial septostomy in neonates with complete transposition." J Am Soc Echocardiogr 2011; 24: 425-30. 
23. Lindsay R. Freud, MD; Maria C. Escobar-Diaz, MD; Brian T. Kalish, MD; Rukmini Komarlu, MD; Michael D. Puchalski, MD; Edgar T. Jaeggi, MD; Anita L. Szwast, MD; Grace Freire, MD; Stéphanie M. Levasseur, MD; Ann Kavanaugh-McHugh, MD; Erik C. Michelfelder, MD; Anita J. Moon-Grady, MD; Mary T. Donofrio, MD; Lisa W. Howley, MD; Elif Seda Selamet Tierney, MD;Bettina F. Cuneo, MD; Shaine A. Morris, MD, MPH; Jay D. Pruetz, MD;Mary E. van der Velde, MD; John P. Kovalchin, MD; Catherine M. Ikemba, MD;Margaret M. Vernon, MD; Cyrus Samai, MD; Gary M. Satou, MD; Nina L. Gotteiner, MD; Colin K. Phoon, MD; Norman H. Silverman,MD; Doff B. McElhinney, MD; Wayne Tworetzky, MD/Outcomes and Predictors of Perinatal Mortality in Fetuses with Ebstein Anomaly or Tricuspid Valve Dysplasia in the Current Era. A Multicenter Study (Circulation. 2015;132:481-489.
24. Arunamata A, Stringer J, Balasubramanian S, Tacy TA, Silverman NH, Punn R. Cardiac Segmental Strain Analysis in Pediatric Left Ventricular Noncompaction Cardiomyopathy.J Am Soc Echocardiogr. 2019 Jun;32(6):763-773
25. Cox K, Algaze-Yojay  C, Punn R, Silverman NH MD. The Natural and Unnatural History of Ventricular Septal Defects Presenting in Infancy – An Echocardiography-Based Review JASE 2020 In Press.

Books Published

1.       Silverman NH, Snider AR.Two-Dimensional Echocardiography in Congenital Heart Disease. Norwalk, CT: Appleton-Century-Crofts; 1982.

2.       Higgins CB, Silverman NH, Schmidt KG, Kersting-Sommerhoff BA, eds. Tomographic Imaging of Congenital Heart Disease: Echocardiography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging.New York, NY: Raven Press; 1990.

3.       Silverman NH.Pediatric Echocardiography.Baltimore, MD: Williams and Wilkins; 1993.

4.       Yagel S, Silverman NH, Gembruch U, Cohen SM, eds. Fetal Cardiology: Embryology, Genetics, Physiology, Echocardiographic Evaluation, Diagnosis and Perinatal Management of Cardiac Diseases. London, Springer; 2003.

5.       Yagel S, Silverman NH, Gembruch U, Cohen SM, eds. Fetal Cardiology: Embryology, Genetics, Physiology, Echocardiographic Evaluation, Diagnosis and Perinatal Management of Cardiac Diseases. New York, Informa.; 2nd Edition; 2008.

6.      Chiappa, EM, Cook, AC, Botta, G, Silverman, NH. Echocardiographic Anatomy in the Fetus.

          London, Springer; 2008.

7.       Silverman NH, Anderson RH, Spicer D, Ursell. P, Kipps A. Echo-morphologic Correlations in Congenital Heart disease      E Book   Through www. MD1 world.com

8.       Fetal Cardiology: Embryology, Genetics, Physiology, Echocardiographic Evaluation, Diagnosis, and Perinatal Management of Cardiac Diseases, Third Edition / CRC Press ( Taylor and Francis, London. January 2019.