The Holmes Heart—A Variant of Cor Triloculare Biatriatum

Abstract

A fourth case of Holmes heart is described in a 12-year-old boy, and developmental and corrective considerations are compared and discussed. The first catheterization data in this condition are presented.

Holmes Heart-A Simple Antenatal Diagnosis of a Complex Cardiac Anomaly? Fetal Echocardiographic Findings and Review

“…It was Maude E. Abbott who reinspected this rare specimen of a cor triloculare biatriatum and republished this case in 1901 4 . Since then, only few isolated cases have been reported, diagnosed accidentally in infants or adults 5,6 …”

Tracheal Atresia Associated with Cor Biloculare

“…This rudimentary chamber, because of its close relationship to the origin of the aorta, probably represents the remnant of the bulbus cordis. This has been demonstrated in those rare cases of cor triloculare biatriatum with functioning rudimentary chamber (Holmes, 1824: Abbott, 1901Sharp, 1957;Rosenquist, Olney, and Roe, 1963).…”

Primitive ventricle with normally related great vessels and stenotic subpulmonary outlet chamber. Angiographic differentiation from tetralogy of Fallot.

“…Thirty-five cases of single ventricle with normally related great vessels have been previously reported (Rosenquist et al, 1963;Anselmi et al, 1968;Klaus et al, 1969;Lev et al, 1969;Edie et al, 1973;Marin-Garcia et al, 1974). Though the case originally described by Holmes did not have pulmonary stenosis, approximately 50 per cent of reported cases of Holmes' heart have had associated pulmonary stenosis.…”

“…There is a striking clinical similarity between Holmes' heart with pulmonary stenosis and tetralogy of Fallot (Rosenquist et al, 1963;Klaus et al, 1969;Rao and Edwards, 1974). This review of published papers and report of our own 4 cases is prompted by our experience with a patient with Holmes' heart and pulmonary stenosis Received for publication 1 March 1977 who was sent to operation with the erroneous diagnosis of tetralogy of Fallot.…”