The Gerbode defect - a frequent echocardiographic pitfall.

We present a case of Gerbode type defect (left ventricular to right atrial communication) discovered in a 52 year-old man with atrial and ventricular septal defects. The patient was diagnosed using two-dimensional colour Doppler and transoesophageal echocardiography. We describe the echocardiographic features and review the anatomical consequences of such defects.