Pre-natal dextro-transposition of the great arteries
|
Dextro-transposition of the great arteries/complete transposition of the great arteries Microchapters |
|
Differentiating dextro-transposition of the great arteries from other Diseases |
|---|
|
Diagnosis |
For patient information click here
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Associate Editors-In-Chief: Keri Shafer, M.D. [2]; Atif Mohammad, M.D., Priyamvada Singh, MBBS
Prenatal d-TGA
Prenatally, a baby with d-TGA experiences no symptoms as the lungs will not be used until after birth, and oxygen is provided by the mother via the placenta and umbilical cord; in order for the red blood to bypass the lungs in utero, the fetal heart has two shunts that begin to close when the newborn starts breathing; these are the foramen ovale and the ductus arteriosus. The foramen ovale is a hole in the atrial septum which allows blood from the right atrium to flow into the left atrium; after birth, the left atrium will be filled with blood returning from the lungs and the foramen ovale will close. The ductus arteriosus is a small, artery-like structure which allows blood to flow from the trunk of the pulmonary artery into the aorta; after birth, the blood in the pulmonary artery will flow into the lungs and the ductus arteriosus will close. Sometimes these shunts will fail to close after birth; these defects are called patent foramen ovale and patent ductus arteriosus, and either may occur independently, or in combination with one another, or with d-TGA or other heart and/or general defects.
In the presence of a d-TGA, the fetus will be asymptomatic due to the presence of shunts during the intrauterine period until after birth when several changes are produced in the circulation:
The following Fetal structures become the following Infant and adult structures :
- The foramen ovale becomes the fossa ovalis
- The ductus arteriosus becomes the ligamentum arteriousus
- The ductus venosus becomes the ligamentum venosus
- The umbilical vein becomes the ligamentum teres
- The umbilical arteries becomes the medial umbilical ligaments
References
Acknowledgements and Initial Contributors to Page
Leida Perez, M.D.
External links
- Diagram at kumc.edu
- Diagram and description at umich.edu
- Overview at pediheart.org
- Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne
- Mayo Clinic, Arizona - Florida - Minnesota, USA
