Patterns of pulmonary arterial anatomy and blood supply in complex congenital heart disease with pulmonary atresia
Marino, B.; Calabró, R.; Gagliardi, M.G.; Bevilacqua, M.; Ballerini, L.; Marcelletti, C.
Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery 94(4): 518-520
1987
ISSN/ISBN: 0022-5223 PMID: 3657254 Document Number: 296608
To identify the pattern of pulmonary anatomy and pulmonary blood supply, we analyzed the angiocardiograms of 40 patients with pulmonary atresia and complex congenital heart disease. All patients but two (95%) had confluent pulmonary arteries supplied by a patent ductus arteriosus. These two patients (5%) had nonconfluent pulmonary arteries, one with major systemic-pulmonary collateral arteries and absent patent ductus arteriosus and the other with a patent ductus arteriosus supplying the right lung and small collateral arteries supplying the left. The low incidence of pulmonary arterial abnormalities and the uniform pattern of pulmonary blood supply make the patients with pulmonary atresia and complex congenital heart disease potential candidates for palliative operation without cardiac catheterization in the neonatal period.