Transient neonatal tricuspid regurgitation: possible relation with premature closure of the ductus arteriosus.

Normal fetal circulation requires patency of the ductus arteriosus. Prenatal ductal closure causes profound circulatory changes, such as massive tricuspid regurgitation. After delivery, the clinical picture of these severely distressed cyanotic newborns usually improves rapidly as the circulation is no longer dependent on ductal patency after onset of respiration. This case report deals with a newborn infant with severe tricuspid regurgitation and a large atrial right to left shunt who was treated with prostaglandin E1 infusion at 12 hours of age and in whom cardiac angiography revealed no evidence of either patent or functionally closed ductus arteriosus and no anatomic cardiac abnormalities at 30 hours of age. On the basis of physiologic and morphologic observations in this infant, the possible role of premature ductal narrowing or closure in the pathogenesis of transient neonatal tricuspid regurgitation is discussed. It is recommended that documentation of ductal presence or absence should become part of the diagnostic evaluation of newborns with transient tricuspid regurgitation.

Relation between preoperative left ventricular muscle mass and outcome of the Fontan procedure in patients with tricuspid atresia.

The relation between preoperative left ventricular muscle mass and clinical outcome of the Fontan procedure was evaluated retrospectively in 22 patients with tricuspid atresia who were selected for this physiologic surgical correction by conventional hemodynamic criteria. Patients were divided into two groups: group A (excellent or good outcome) and group B (poor outcome or death) based on the clinical course assessed up to 9.5 years postoperatively. Thirteen of 22 group A patients did not have prolonged, clinically significant, systemic venous hypertension and were not on long-term diuretic drug therapy. Nine of 22 group B patients either had clinically significant systemic venous hypertension, required long-term diuretic drug therapy or died (3 patients). Age at surgery, pulmonary arteriolar resistance, left ventricular ejection fraction, end-diastolic volume, end-diastolic pressure, systemic oxygen saturation and pulmonary to systemic blood flow ratio (Qp/Qs) were not statistically different between the two groups. Left ventricular muscle mass, both in group A patients (92 +/- 31 g/m2) and in group B patients (146 +/- 61 g/m2), was greater than the normal mean value (p less than 0.01 and p less than 0.001, respectively). Left ventricular muscle mass in group B was significantly greater than in group A (p less than 0.01). Furthermore, left ventricular muscle mass/end-diastolic volume (mass/volume) ratio, reflecting the extent of left ventricular hypertrophy relative to volume overload, was significantly greater in group B (1.1 +/- 0.28) than in group A (0.84 +/- 0.21) (p less than 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Two-dimensional echocardiographic and angiocardiographic diagnosis of subpulmonary stenosis due to tricuspid valve pouch in complete transposition of the great arteries.

Two-dimensional echocardiograms and angiocardiograms were obtained in six infants and children, each with complete transposition of the great arteries, a ventricular septal defect and subvalvular pulmonary stenosis. In each case, the subpulmonary stenosis resulted from redundant tricuspid valve tissue which protruded through the ventricular septal defect and into the left ventricular outflow tract. Angio-echocardiographic correlations demonstrated features that allowed preoperative recognition of this unusual type of subpulmonary stenosis. The left ventricular angiogram in an anteroposterior orientation revealed a characteristic filling defect in the outflow tract during systole in each patient. Echocardiographic images of the left ventricular outflow tract and of the tricuspid valve demonstrated subpulmonary stenosis caused by protruding redundant tricuspid valve tissue (resembling a "pouch") in all six patients. These findings were contrasted with those from three patients with normally related great arteries and a similar, but nonobstructive, tricuspid valve pouch. Echocardiographic and angiocardiographic examination and correlation allowed preoperative diagnosis of this unusual form of subpulmonary stenosis in complete transposition of the great arteries. This is especially important because limited left ventricular intraoperative exploration may fail to reveal subpulmonary obstruction as the pouch may be flaccid in a relaxed arrested heart.

Measurement of mitral valve orifice area in infants and children by two-dimensional echocardiography.

Two-dimensional echocardiograms of the mitral valve orifice area were obtained in 50 normal pediatric subjects, 15 patients with congenital mitral stenosis and 7 patients with tricuspid atresia. The mitral area was measured near the tips of the mitral valve leaflets from a diastolic cross-sectional image of the left ventricle. The cardiac images were recorded on videotape and later transferred to video disc for high resolution contour tracing. Contour analysis was performed by a special purpose microcomputer system for calculation of the enclosed calibrated area. In normal patients, there was an excellent correlation (r = 0.95) between mitral valve area (MVA) (in cm2) and body surface area (BSA) (in m2) described by MVA = 4.83 X BSA - 0.07. Each patient with mitral stenosis had a mitral valve area that measured less than the third percentile predicted from the normal regression formula. In eight patients in whom the Gorlin formula could be applied, there was excellent correlation (r = 0.95) between echocardiographic and hemodynamic measurements of mitral valve area. Each patient with tricuspid atresia had a very large mitral valve area (greater than 99th percentile of normal). It is concluded that noninvasive measurement of mitral valve orifice area can be accurately achieved by two-dimensional echocardiography in pediatric patients with congenital mitral stenosis, allowing serial measurement of their mitral valve area.

Functional aortic valve atresia in transposition of the great arteries.

The criterion for the diagnosis of functional atresia of a patient semilunar valve is met when the pressure in a ventricle remains lower than that in the related great artery throughout systole so that no forward flow can occur. Functional pulmonary valve atresia has been well recognized in infants with normally related great arteries and massive tricuspid valve incompetence. The cardiac physiology and anatomy of an infant with transposed great arteries and functional aortic valve atresia is reported for the first time. The peak systolic pressure in the right ventricle was 30 mm Hg and in the aorta 64 mm Hg. The causes for right ventricular incompetence were abnormalities of the tricuspid valve and hypoplasia of the ventricular free wall. Three other cases with similar ventricular anatomy and physiology but with anatomic atresia of the aortic valve are reviewed. The possibility that under these physiologic circumstances during fetal life functional atresia develops first, and that anatomic fusion of idle semilunar cusps develops as a secondary phenomenon, is discussed.

Successful surgical repair of aortic atresia associated with normal left ventricle.

Surgical repair of aortic atresia with a large ventricular septal defect and a normally developed left ventricle was accomplished in a 14 month old infant. Palliative surgery at age 23 days consisted of bilateral banding of pulmonary artery branches and replacement of the ductus arteriosus with a Goretex conduit. Corrective surgery was accomplished by closure of the ventricular septal defect, insertion of a valved conduit between the apex of the left ventricle and the subdiaphragmatic aorta, removal of the pulmonary artery bands and division of the pulmonary-aortic conduit. The patient has a mild coarctation of the aorta and remains asymptomatic at 2 years of age.

d-Transposition of the great vessels in the neonate. A clinical diagnosis.

We reviewed the records of 66 neonatal patients with d-transposition of the great vessels (d-TGV) admitted to our institution. The initial history, physical examination by the cardiologist, chest rotengenogram, ECG, hemoglobin level, and hematocrit value were analyzed. Although all patients all patients were cyanotic and 65% were tachypneic, other signs of a major congenital cardiac anomaly were usually absent. The number of clinical signs (poor general status, cyanosis, respiratory distress, S2 increased and single, murmur, classical chest roentgenogram, abnormal ECG) present in each patient was three or less in 41%, only 13.5% had more than five signs.

Persistence of the fetal cardiopulmonary circulatory pathway: survival of an infant after a prolonged course;.

The first case of "idiopathic" persistence of the fetal cardiopulmonary circulatory pathway with survival after a prolonged course is documented by serial cardiac catheterizations. All previously reported infants have either markedly improved within the first week of life or subsequently died. This entity has been described in term infants with prenatal or perinatal distress who present with tachypnea and cyanosis from birth. The chest radiograph is remarkable for the absence of pulmonary parenchymal pathology and the hemoglobin and hematocrit are normal. Blood gas determinations indicate hypoxia and acidosis with or without hypercarbia. Cardiac catheterization and angiography reveal an anatomically normal heart with severe pulmonary hypertension, left ventricular pressure lower than right ventricular pressure, and right-to-left venoarterial shunting through the fetal channels (atrial and or ductal levels). It is postulated that this entity may result from antenatal factors that affect the pulmonary vasculature and its subsequent adjustment to extrauterine life. These factors may include abnormal intrauterine stress resulting in excessive hypertrophy of the pulmonary arteriolar smooth muscle, or abnormal pulmonary vascular responsiveness to the usual vasoactive stimuli before or after birth, or an immature or dysfunctioning enzyme system necessary for the normal decrease in pulmonary artery pressure.

Echocardiographic localization of interatrial baffle after Mustard operation for dextrotransposition of the great arteries.

The position of the interatrial baffle was determined by echocardiography in 11 patients with complete transposition of the great arteries who had undergone the Mustard operation. The location of the interatrial baffle and the newly created systemic venous atrium and the pulmonary venous atrium behind the pulmonary arterial root was established by echocardiographic contrast studies during cardiac catherization. Angiographic analysis indicated that the segments of the systemic and pulmonary venous atria seen behind the pulmonary arterial root in the echocardiogram were, respectively, the superior limb of the systemic venous atrium and the posterior segment of the pulmonary venous atrium. The area of mitral-pulmonary valve continuity in the echocardiogram was used as a reference point for dimensional measurements of the systemic and pulmonary venous atria. It is suggested that longitudinal measurements of these structures by echocardiogram may help evaluate their growth in size. Fine to coarse fibrillatory movements of the atrioventricular valves and, more frequently, of the mitral valve were seen in the majority of patients.

Asymmetric distribution of the pulmonary blood flow between the right and left lungs in d-transposition of the great arteries.

Pulmonary angiograms, radionuclide lung images and chest roentgenograms were evaluated regarding the incidence, magnitude and natural evolution of maldistribution of the pulmonary blood flow between the lungs in 63 patients with dextrotransposition of the great arteries. Approximately half of these patients had some degree of greater perfusion of the right relative to the left lung. A significant correlation was demonstrated between the incidence of this maldistribution of blood flow and the angulation between the main and the right pulmonary arteries. For any given angulation between these vessels, additional pulmonary stenosis increased the incidence of disparity in perfusion. Our observations suggest the following developmental mechanisms: The maldistribution in flow results from the abnormal rightward inclination of the main pulmonary artery in the transposition malformation which straightens the flow axis from the main to the right pulmonary artery. Under these circumstances the momentum of the blood in the main pulmonary artery carries the blood preferentially into the right pulmonary artery. This momentum is increased when there is stenosis of the left ventricular outflow tract. Consequent differences in the mechanical properties of the two pulmonary vascular beds can increase this maldistribution. The disparity in perfusion between the lungs is not present in newborns with d-transposition, appears to be progressive in severity and in time may result in almost complete cessation of effective perfusion of the left lung. The effect of the Mustard operation on this abnormality of flow is discussed.

Discrete subvalvular aortic stenosis in childhood. Study of 51 patients.

Fifty-one children with discrete subvalvular aortic stenosis were studied between 1951 and 1974. The three anatomic types of obstruction found were the thin membranous type (43 cases), the fibromuscular collar type (5 cases) and the tunnel type (3 cases). The obstruction was usually severe, and the median left ventricular to aortic systolic pressure gradient was 90 mm Hg. Progressive obstruction with an increasing gradient was documented in 10 patients by serial cardiac catherizations. Significant associated cardiac defects, present in 57 percent of patients, often masked the typical clinical and cardiac catheterization features of subaortic stenosis. The stenosis was often not discovered until after surgery for the associated defect. Forty patients underwent surgical resection of the discrete subaortic obstruction. After surgery significant left ventricular to aortic pressure gradients can be found at postoperative cardiac catheterization. These gradients may reflect inadequate resection of the more complex discrete obstructions or represent proliferation and regrowth of the previously resected subvalvular fibrous tissue. The criteria for operability of discrete subaortic stenosis should be the angiographic demonstration of a discrete subvalvular diaphragm and the presence of a resting left ventricular to aortic systolic pressure gradient of 40 mm Hg or more.

Balloon angioplasty--branch pulmonary artery stenosis: results from the Valvuloplasty and Angioplasty of Congenital Anomalies Registry.

Balloon angioplasty for branch pulmonary artery stenosis was reported from 27 institutions to the Valvuloplasty and Angioplasty of Congenital Anomalies Registry. One hundred eighty-two procedures were performed in 156 patients ranging in age from 0.2 to 46.2 years (mean 7.7). Short-term angiographic appearance, hemodynamic results and immediate complications were recorded. Vessel dimension at the site of stenosis increased from 4.5 +/- 2.0 (mean +/- standard deviation) to 6.8 +/- 3.0 mm (p less than 0.001) with greater increases in vessel dimension at the site of stenosis if the balloon diameter was greater than 3 X the original dimension of the stenosis. There was no significant benefit related to age or prior surgical intervention. The mean peak systolic pressure gradient was reduced from 49 +/- 25 to 37 +/- 26 mm Hg (p less than 0.001) and pressure proximal to the stenosis decreased from 69 +/- 25 to 63 +/- 24 mm Hg (p less than 0.001). Complications occurred in 21 patients and included vessel rupture and death in 2 patients, vessel perforation or rupture with survival in 3, cardiac arrest and death in 1, paradoxical embolism and death in 1 and low output and death in 1. Balloon angioplasty for branch pulmonary artery stenosis increases vessel dimension at the site of stenosis, reduces systolic pressure gradient and to a minor degree, reduces proximal pressure. Long-term outcome and potential complications are as yet uncertain.

Transposition of the great arteries with intact ventricular septum and patent ductus arteriosus.

At the time of initial balloon atrial septostomy a patent ductus arteriosus was found with angiography in 39 of 81 infants with transposition of the great arteries with intact ventricular septum. By angiographic criteria the ductus shunt was considered small in 21 infants and large and significant in 18. In contrast to the usual clinical presentation of neonates with transposition and intact ventricular septum, 12 of these 18 infants with a significant patent ductus arteriosus had only slight cyanosis and 8 presented with tachypnea out of proportion to the degree of cyanosis. Ten of the 18 infants had no continuous murmur, bounding pulses, mid-diastolic rumble or differential cyanosis. Clinically occult narrowing or closure occurred, presumably gradually and relatively late, in six infants. Acute early narrowing or closure, spontaneous (six infants) or surgically produced (three infants), occurred usually within the 1st month of life and was associated with a marked decrease in arterial oxygen saturation in eight infants, often with a rapid clinical deterioration. Persistence of a large patent ductus arteriosus for several months appears to be associated with an increased incidence of early pulmonary vascular disease. Therapeutic considerations for the infant with a large patent ductus arteriosus after initial balloon atrial septostomy include: (1) careful initial follow-up of the infant in clinically stable condition in case the ductus arteriosus should acutely narrow or close and the patient require urgent palliative or corrective surgery; (2) urgent early closure of the ductus in the infant with overt left heart failure with concurrent atrial septectomy or preferably primary corrective surgery; and (3) elective closure of a persistent significant patent ductus arteriosus before age 4 months with concurrent corrective surgery in the infant in clinically stable condition.

Echocardiographic assessment of the relation between left ventricular wall and cavity dimensions and peak systolic pressure in children with aortic stenosis.

Echocardiographic measurements of the left ventricular end diastolic minor axis and posterior and septal wall thickness were obtained in 19 children with congenital aortic stenosis with left ventricular peak systolic pressures ranging from 110 to 225 mm Hg at cardiac catheterization. From these measurements were derived (1) the left ventricular peak circumferential wall stress, (2)the end-diastolic h/r ratio (that is, mean of septal and posterior wall thickness (h) to minor semiaxis (r) ratio), and (3) the LVM/LVV ratio (that is, left ventricular mass (LVM) to left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVV) ratio). The peak stress was found to be within the normal range and independent of the left ventricular peak systolic pressure. The end-diastolic h/r and LVM/LVV ratios had highly significant linear relations to the left ventricular peak systolic pressure. It is concluded that these easily determined echocardiographic measurements provide a useful noninvasive means of assessing left ventricular peak systolic pressure in patients with aortic stenosis without myocardial decompensation.

Clinical manifestations of dynamic left ventricular outflow tract stenosis in infants with d-transposition of the great arteries with intact ventricular septum.

Four infants with d-transposition of the great arteries and intact ventricular septum who manifested early clinical symptoms and deterioration due to dynamic left ventricular outflow stenosis are presented. All four had an anatomically adequate atrial septal defect, made at the initial balloon atrial septostomy, that was later confirmed intraoperatively. Two infants continued to have a low arterial oxygen saturation level because of inadequate interatrial mixing, and one of these had severe persistent cyanosis and was treated with the Mustard operation at age 4 days. The other two infants subsequently presented with hypercyanotic spells at age 3 months. All four infants had features of dynamic left ventricular outflow stenosis on hemodynamic, angiocardiographic and echocardiographic studies. The left ventricular outflow pressure gradient was shown to increase after administration of isoproterenol in one infant, and relief of a cyanotic spell with reduction of left ventricular systolic pressure was achieved in another after intravenous administration of propranolol. The Mustard operation relieved symptoms in all infants. The effect of left ventricular outflow tract stenosis on the mechanisms responsible for interatrial mixing in d-transposition of the great arteries with intact ventricular septum is discussed.

Masked subaortic stenosis in ostium primum atrial septal defect: recognition and treatment.

Five patients with ostium primum atrial septal defect (ASD) and a cleft mitral valve had no hemodynamic evidence of left ventricular (LV) outflow tract obstruction on preoperative cardiac catheterization. After surgical closure of the ASD and repair of the mitral cleft, all 5 patients manifested subaortic stenosis with pressure gradients ranging from 10 to 120 mm Hg. Postoperative LV angiograms revealed systolic narrowing of the outflow tract, and the same outflow tract dynamics were recognized on reviewing the preoperative angiograms and echocardiograms. Persistence or exaggeration of the characteristic diastolic "goose-neck" deformity during LV systole in atrioventricular canal defects is diagnostic of a potential or actual subaortic obstruction. This diagnostic sign is also readily recognizable by 2-dimensional echocardiography, and when present, the surgeon should be alerted to explore the LV outflow tract because the outflow tract anatomy is not readily apparent at operation aimed solely at closing the ASD and repairing the cleft mitral valve.

Pulmonary vascular disease after systemic-pulmonary arterial shunt operations.

More than 1,100 patients underwent a systemic-pulmonary arterial shunt operation at the Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago, from 1946 to 1974. Of these patients, 294 were studied to assess the presence of pulmonary vascular disease and the time of its occurrence after surgery. They were selected either because lung tissue was available for histologic grading of pulmonary vascular disease (114 patients) or because hemodynamic studies were performed after the shunt operation (180 patients). The shunts, all patent at the time of the study, ranged in duration from 1 month to 23 years. After a subclavan-pulmonary arterial shunt (75 patients) there was little evidence of advatients) pulmonary vascular disease in either histologic C2 of 25 patients) or hemodynamic (1 of 50 patients) studies. After an aortic-pulmonary arterial shunt (44 Waterston, 175 Potts) there was small likelikhood of advanced pulmonary vascular disease with a shunt duration of less than 5 years (1 of 35 histologic, 0 of 27 hemodynamic studies). With a shunt duration of more than 5 years the incidence of advanced pulmonary vascular disease increased significantly (15 of 54 histologic, 17 of 103 hemodynamic studies). A mean pulmonary arterial pressure of 50 mm Hg or greater strongly suggests the presence of advanced pulmonary vascular disease. When a systemic-pulmonary arterial shunt has provided effective palliation with decreased pulmonary pressure there is small likelihood that advanced pulmonary vascular disease will develop, even with a long shunt duration of 20 to 25 years.

Two dimensional echocardiographic evaluation of Mustard operation for d- transposition of the great arteries.

Two dimensional sector scan echocardiography was used to evaluate the morphologic characteristics of the surgically revised atria in 17 patients with d-transposition of the great arteries who had undergone the Mustard operation. Echocardiographic imaging of the atria was obtained from various planar projections. Dimensional measurements of various segments of the systemic and pulmonary venous atria were obtained in each patient. Correlative hemodynamic, angiographic, postmortem and echocardiographic data showed that seven patients (Group I) had no structural abnormalities of the atria. These 7 patients served as controls for 10 other patients with structural abnormalities of the surgically created atria. One patient (Group II) showed stenosis of the junction of the superior vena cava and systemic venous atrium compared with findings in the control group. Three patients (Group III) had significantly reduced echocardiographic dimensions of the junction of the anterior and posterior segments of the pulmonary venous atrium. Six patients (Group IV) had increased echocardiographic dimensions of all components of the pulmonary venous atrium due to tricuspid regurgitation. These data show that qualitative and quantitative two dimensional sector echocardiography can reliably detect structural abnormalities of the surgically revised atria after the Mustard operation.

Distal aortopulmonary septal defect, aortic origin of the right pulmonary artery, intact ventricular septum, patent ductus arteriosus and hypoplasia of the aortic isthmus: a newly recognized syndrome.

The association of distal aortopulmonary septal defect, aortic origin of the right pulmonary artery, intact ventricular septum and interruption or coarctation of the aortic isthmus has not previously been reported as a syndrome. This combination of anomalies was encountered in five new patients and was previously reported in three. Two patients have undergone surgery with successful results. In contrast to the sagittally oriented conventional proximal aortopulmonary septal defect, the patients in this series had a more distal type of defect, possibly representing a partial persistence of the common arterial trunk. The pulmonary arterial bifurcation may malattach to this undivided truncal segment and, as a result, the right pulmonary artery may be partially or completely shifted into the aorta. This abnormal right pulmonary arterial origin may lead to "steal" from the aortic flow during embryogenesis and to hypoplasia of the aortic arch. This concept is supported by the angiographic observation that the greater the rightward displacement of the right pulmonary artery, the greater the hypoplasia of the arch. The diagnostic angiographic sign is a strikingly high origin of the right pulmonary artery together with aortic arch hypoplasia or atresia. Closure of the aortopulmonary septal defect with implantation of the right pulmonary artery in the pulmonary trunk and repair of the aortic arch anomaly is the recommended surgical treatment.

Development of neo-coarctation in patients with transposed great arteries and hypoplastic aortic arch after Lecompte modification of anatomical correction.

We report on three patients with kinking in the proximal aortic arch that developed after Lecompte modification of the arterial switch operation. Two patients had a previous subclavian patch repair of coarctation of the aorta and had an associated hypoplasia of the transverse aortic arch, and one patient had hemodynamically mild coarctation at the anatomical repair. A severe pressure gradient across the kinked area ("neo-coarctation") necessitating reoperation developed in one patient. The acute arch angulation appears to be due to an excessive posterior displacement of the ascending aorta by the anterior relocation of either the right or left main pulmonary artery branch from underneath the aortic arch. A foreshortened and frequently hypoplastic transverse aortic arch, a common association with coarctation of the aorta, appears to be especially vulnerable to the development of "neo-coarctation" after the Lecompte modification of the anatomical repair of transposed great arteries.