[Malposition of the great arteries. Is this term a valid one?].

We present four cases of a congenital heart malformation classically known as malposition of the great arteries. This term means there are concordant ventriculo-arterial connections with abnormal spatial relations of the aortic and the pulmonary arteries, in which the former is anterior relative to the latter, and either to the right or to the left, according to the position of the corresponding ventricle. This anomaly can be found in any type of atrial situs, notwithstanding the type or mode of atrioventricular connection, as in the cases we studied. If we consider that this anomaly depends on the associated lesions in order to produce physiological heart alterations, we think that the term of malposition of the great arteries is not valid, since in the anatomic diagnosis of congenital heart disease it is important to consider the connections between atria, ventricles and arteries, the spatial relations between them being of second importance.