Prenatal Diagnosis of an Aortopulmonary Window With an Interrupted Aortic Arch

Abstract

A prenatal aortopulmonary window with an interrupted aortic arch was detected in a 22-week-old fetus. The 3-vessel and trachea view showed a communication between the ascending aorta and the pulmonary artery. Early postnatal surgery was successful. A PubMed-based search identified all cases of prenatal aortopulmonary windows between 2002 and 2015. Nine articles were identified. The average gestational age at diagnosis was 28 weeks (range, 22-33 weeks). The most frequent aortopulmonary window was type I (40%). All cases were associated with congenital heart defects, mainly an interrupted aortic arch (50%). No chromosomal or extracardiac abnormalities were seen. Prenatal echocardiography is useful for early diagnosis of an aortopulmonary window. The prognosis depends on the time of surgery and the nature of the associated anomalies.

The prenatal diagnosis of aortopulmonary window by fetal echocardiography

“…One case met the Berry syndrome criteria. The results were a little different from previous publications, which reported that type I was the most common form, and the most common complication was interrupted aortic arch (5 of 10 [50%]) . The discrepancy may be related to the small sample size.…”

“…6 the most common form, and the most common complication was interrupted aortic arch (5 of 10 [50%]). 8 The discrepancy may be related to the small sample size.…”

“…Genome sequencing performed in four patients revealed no chromosomal abnormality in all the four patients, which is similar to the findings of previous studies. 8,10 These scholars believe that APW is not associated with chromosomal anomalies.…”

“…The ultrasound equipment used was Voluson E8, E10 (GE Healthcare, Zipf, AUSTRIA) equipped with 2D/3D probes (frequency range [4][5][6][7][8]. Fetal echocardiography was performed by experienced ultrasound physicians.…”

A rare case of an unexpected aortopulmonary window

“…In fact, a differential diagnosis with patent ductus arteriosus and common truncus arteriosus can be done by the presence of the signs such as aortic systolic murmur and with signs of left ventricular hypertrophy on electrocardiogram [9,10]. Also, the quality of the peripheral pulse, as well as the loud diastolic murmur, can be used to diagnose APW.…”