Electrocardiographic study in children with ventricular septal defect

ABSTRACT

Twenty patients with isolated ventricular septal defect [VSD] were submitted to this study. It aimed at studying the value of clinical, radiological and electrocardiographic aspects of their disease in selecting patients for surgery. They were divided into two groups Group A, with pulmonary systolic arterial pressure [PSAP] more than 50 mmHg and group B, with PSAP less than 50 mmHg. All patients were subjected to history taking, clinical examination, plain chest X-rays, electrocardiography [ECG] and cardiac catheterization. The results showed that the clinical picture is of no value in detecting the underlying pathophysiology, but radiological findings were found to be useful in estimating the reaction of the pulmonary vasculature to the shunt. Lastly, the ECG proved to have an important role in selecting patient for surgery. The presence of left ventricular hypertrophy [LVH] alone or with right ventricular hypertrophy [RVH] means that the shunt is still left to right and surgical treatment is possible