Objective To detect the plasma amino-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-ProBNP) of children with congenital heart disease(CHD) prior to heart surgery,to analysize its sensitivity,specificity and Youden index by receiver operating characteristic(ROC) curve,to explore the cut-off values of plasma NTProBNP for the diagnosis of congestive heart failure(CHF) in children under 5 years old before and after age stratification.Method The plasma NT-proBNP was detected for 100 children with CHD prior to heart surgery (experimental group) and 100 normal children(control group) between January 2011 to January 2013.Age stratification(0 ～ 1 year group,～3 years group and ～ 5 year group) was conducted in children with CHF younger than 5 years old to explore the cut-off values of plasma NT-ProBNP for the diagnosis of CHF.Results The NT-proBNP of 34 patients with CHF(n =100) was in accordance to Ross criteria The cut-off values were 502 ng/ L before age stratification,and they were 552 ng/L,449 ng/L,349 ng/L after age stratification for 0 ～ 1 year group,～ 3 years group and ～ 5 group.Conclusion The cut-off values of plasma NT-ProBNP for CHF were 552 ng/L、449 ng/L、349 ng/L for 0 ～ 1 year group,～ 3 years group and ～ 5 year group.