A rare case of associate surprising aortopulmonary window

Alessandra Narciso Garcia

Abstract

Aorto-pulmonary window is a rare heart disease occurring in 0.1-0.2% of the patients with the congenital cardiac disease and it results from an incomplete development of the conotruncal septum. Half of the cases aorto-pulmonary windows are associated with the other anomalies. This condition can occur on its own or with other heart defects such as: tetralogy of fallot, pulmonary atresia, atrial septal defect, interrupted aortic arch, truncus arteriosus and patent ductus arteriosus. Babies that have a hole in between the aorta and pulmonary artery have blood from the aorta that flows into the pulmonary artery, and as a result too much blood flows to the lungs. This causes high blood pressure in the lungs (a condition called pulmonary hypertension) and congestive heart failure. Symptoms can include: delayed growth, irritability, rapid heartbeat, heart failure, infections of the lungs. We describe a case of aortopulmonary window incidentally found during surgery for a Type an interrupted aortic arch and repaired uneventfully. In our case the anomaly was not diagnosed until the thoracotomy but anatomy allowed surgeon to perform the closure of the window.

Relevant Publications in Journal of Cardiovascular Medicine and Therapeutics