Congenital Flashcards
What is a PFO?
- Patent foramen ovale
- one of two fetal cardiac shunts, allowing blood to bypass the fetal lungs, which cannot work until they are exposed to air
- occurs when the foramen ovale fails to close after birth
- later forms the “fossa ovalis”
What are the notable 22q11.2 deletion syndromes?
Multiple phenotypes
- Tetralogy of Fallot
- Pulmonary Stenosis
- Interrupted arch
- VSD
- Double outlet right ventricle
- D-transposition of the great arteries
- DiGeorge syndrome: CATCH-22
Explain the features of Digeorge Syndrome
CATCH-22
- Cardiac abnormality
- commonly - interrupted aortic arch, truncus arteriosus, tetralogy of Fallot
- Abnormal facies
- Thymic aplasia and immune deficiencies
- Cleft palate
- Hypocalcemia/hypoparathyroidism
Chromosomal abnormality leading to:
- Down syndrome
Trisomy 21
Chromosomal abnormality leading to:
- Turner Syndrome
absence or abnormality in one of X chromosomes
Chromosomal abnormality leading to:
- Williams Syndrome
Microdeletion on 7q and others
Supravalvular Stenosis
Mendelian gene/chromosomal mutation associated with:
- Marfan Syndrome
Fibrillin-1 mutation on chromosome 15q21
Mendelian gene/chromosomal mutation associated with:
- Loey-Dietz syndrome
TGF beta receptor disorder (TGFBR1 or TGFBR2)
Mendelian gene/chromosomal mutation associated with:
- Holt-Oram Syndrome
TBX5 gene mutation
What congenital defect has the highest risk of transmission to progeny?
- Bicuspid aortic valve and/or aorthopathy
- up to 30% transmission rate
What is the general rate of transmission to offspring, for most congenital heart defects?
2-4%
What is/are the most common congenital heart pathology:
- Down syndrome
- 60% have some congenital heart lesion
- AV septal defects (complete or partial)
- ASDs
- VSD’s
- Both ASD and VSD’s
- Cleft AV leaflets
What is/are the most common congenital heart pathology and features:
- Holt-Oram Syndrome
- Secundum ASD’s (occassionally others)
- Abnormal digits, usually thumbs; can be both upper limbs
What is/are the most common congenital heart pathology and features:
- Noonan Syndrome
- Dysplastic pulmonary valve, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, ASD’s
- Short stature, Web neck, hypertelorism, low set ears, micrognathia, pectus excavatum, triangular facies,
What is/are the most common congenital heart pathology:
- Marfan Syndrome
- Aortic aneurysm
- MVP
- Aortic valve prolapse
- Pulmonary artery dilatation
Which echocardiographic scan plane is most optimal to define a secundum ASD?
- Subcostal 4-chamber view
- view which is optimally perpendicular to the atrial septum
- eliminates the greatest degree of potential drop out
What is the most common associated anatomic lesion found with a sinus venosus ASD?
Anomalous right pulmonary venous connection
- either a single RUPV or the RU and middle pulmonary veins insert anomalously to the SVC or the SVC-right atrial junction
- these can also be located inferiorly near the entrance of the IVC into the RA
- sinus venosus ASD’s are most commonly found in the superior portion of the atrial septum creating a “biatrial” insertion of the SVC
What is the most common associated anatomic lesion found with a inlet VSD’s?
AV septal defects
What is the most common associated anatomic lesion found with bicuspid aortic valve?
coarctation of the aorta
What is the most common associated congenital defect in a patient with Down Syndrome and an AV septal defect (AVSD)?
Tetralogy of Fallot
What is the most common anatomic finding in a complete AVSD?
LVOT is “sprung” anteriorly
- LV inflow is shortened and LVOT is elongated (“goose-neck deformity”) –> LV inlet / LV outlet ratio < 1
- Presence of a common AV valve –> Aortic Valve no longer wedged between AV valves and is pushed anteriorly (“sprung”)
What are the anatomic hallmarks of AVSD’s?
- Cleft in the anterior leaflet of the left AV valve
- Lateral rotation of the LV papillary muscles
- Attachments of the left and right AV valves at the same level at the cardiac crux
- LV inlet / LV outlet ratio < 1 (“goose-neck deformity)
What is the best echo view to delineate a subpulmonary (supracristal, doubly committed) VSD?
parasternl short axis view
- can also be demonstrated from subcostal and apical windows with appropriate angulation
What is the most characteristic acquired lesion resulting from a subpulmonary (supracristal, doubly committed) VSD?
Aortic Insufficiency
- occurs as a result of prolapse of the aortic cusp into the subpulmonary VSD
What is the most characteristic physiologic effect of a large VSD?
Equalization of the RV and LV pressures
as well as
elevated pulmonary arterial pressure
What is the most common anatomic type of subaortic stenosis?
Discrete membrane
- located proximal to the aortic valve within the LVOT
- most often circumferential and can be adherent to both the aortic valve as well as the anterior leaflet of the mitral valve
When are the Glenn and Fontan procedures employed?
whenever a congenital anatomy requires routing blood from the systemic venous system to the pulmonary arterial system
Describe the Glenn procedure:
creation of a cavopulmonary connection between the SVC and the disconnected right pulmonary artery (RPA)
What is the major complication of the Glenn procedure?
What is done to correct this complication?
- patients only perfused the right lung via the SVC –>
- pulmonary AV malformations (sometimes quite large)
- cyanosis
- Correction –> bidirectional Glenn procedure which allowed blood to go to both lungs
- attaching SVC to RPA + oversewing of pulmonary valve
Describe the Fontan procedure
- multiple ways to perform the procedure, all involve routing
- IVC –> lungs
- Classic Fontan = IVC –> right atrial appendage –> main PA
Why is it important that the Glenn and Fontan procedures performed at different times?
- prevent competitive flow conflict
- prevent increased pulmonary resistance
- lung will not be accustomed to the flow
What is a solution to the initial high pressure in the Fontan conduit at placement?
- “fenestrated” release into the right atrium to allow “pop-off” flow to allow decreased pressure in the conduit
- once lungs have adapted to the new increase in flow –> fenestration is generally closed with a closure device
What pathophysiology causes the Fontan conduit to fail?
What is required to allow the Fontan conduit to function correctlly?
- Pulmonary hypertension (from any cause)
- pulmonary vascular disease, elevated pulmonary venous pressure from ventricular dysfunction, AV valve regurgitation
- Systemic venous pressure must exceed the PA pressure and active early diastolic relaxation of the systemic ventricle be normal
What is the most common associated cardiac abnormality in a patient with coarctation of the aorta?
Bicuspid Aortic vavle
- 80% of patients
- ASD’s and VSD’s are also common
In patients with coarctation of the aorta, when is systemic arterial pressure significantly affected in regards to the aortic lumen narrowing?
50%
What is the most common type of VSD associated with coarctation of the aorta?
Perimembranous
What can posterior malalignment VSD cause?
Severe coarctation
or
Interruption of the aortic arch
What is a characteristic finding in patients with:
- coarctation of the aorta
- muscular VSD or inlet VSD
unbalanced RV-dominant AVSD
When are anterior malalignment VSD’s commonly seen?
RV outflow obstruction
- most notably - ToF
What syndrome can present with interruption of the aortic arch?
DiGeorge Syndrome
- deletion in chromosome 22q11
Define aortic arch interruptions
- Type A
- occurs distal to the left subclavian artery
- Type B
- occurs between the left common carotid and left subclavian arteries
- Type C
- occurs between the right inonimate and left common carotid arteries
Describe the findings and diagnosis
Large membranous VSD
- PSAX
- classic demonstration of membranous VSD adjacent to the TV
- betweeen 10-12 oclock
- PLAX
- seen just below aortic valve
What is the best view to visualize muscular VSD’s?
A4C and PLAX / PSAX
What anatomic type of VSD has been closed in this image?
Trabecular muscular VSD
What anatomic type of VSD is demonstrated in the PSAX view?
Subpulmonary (supracristal) VSD
- defect in the subpulmonary region (supracristal) of the ventricular septum adjacent to the pulmonary valve
- “infundibular” or “conal” VSD
What is the best way to differentiate mebranous and subpulmonary (supracristal, infundibular, conal) VSD’s on PSAX?
- Membranous - adjacent to the TV
- Inlet VSD also close proximity to TV
- Subpulmonary - adjacent to PV
2 day old infant with respiratiory distress
Describe the findings and diagnosis
PDA with bidirectional shunting
- High left PSAX view demonstrates PDA
- Color doppler
- consistent with bidirectional shunt from aorta-to-PA (right-to-left shunting in systole and left-to-right shunting in diastole)
- CW doppler
- confirms bidirectional low-velocity shunting consistent with pulmonary hypertension
Describe the findings and diagnosis
Subarotic membrane with moderate stenosis