Pulmonary arterial changes in patients with ventricular septal defects and severe pulmonary hypertension.

In 25 patients, aged eight months to 31 years, with ventricular septal defect (VSD; isolated in 15, the others with atrial septal defect, PDA, coarctation or patent ductus arteriosus + coarctation), each with severe pulmonary artery hypertension (pulmonary artery systolic pressure [Ppa] at least 75% of systemic and an elevated pulmonary vascular resistance), we related morphologic and morphometric data from open-lung biopsy to hemodynamic measurements obtained at cardiac catheterization during the same hospital admission. Of the hemodynamic features measured, only the ratios of pulmonary-to-systemic flow and pulmonary-to-systemic resistance correlated significantly with structure. Neither pulmonary artery pressure (Ppa) nor pulmonary vascular resistance correlated significantly with any structural feature studied.

Surgical repair of truncus arteriosus.

This paper reviews the initial experience of radical correction of truncus arteriosus in the Soviet Union. The anatomy, hemodynamics, diagnosis and surgical technique are described in detail. Five patients were operated on; three survived.

Aortopulmonary septal defect: hemodynamics, angiography, and operation.

Twenty-five patients with malseptation of the aortopulmonary trunk resulting in aortopulmonary septal defect (window) were evaluated in a unique combined surgical series assembled from two institutions participating in the USA-USSR Health Exchange Program. Typical aortopulmonary septal defect or window (type I) with the connection between the ascending aorta and main pulmonary artery was found in 21 patients. Four had a more cephalad defect (type II) between the ascending aorta and the origin of the right pulmonary artery.