Atrial Septal Defect, Ventricular Septal Defect

Abstract

Atrial septal defect (ASD) is the general name for multiple cardiac lesions whose etiology is mainly a congenital defect in the interatrial septum. Atrial septal defects, after bicuspid aortic valve and mitral valve prolapse, are the third most common congenital heart disease. Atrial septal defects are much more frequent in women than men. A long list of assessment methods is used to detect the disease, from noninvasive ones to fully invasive methods. The management depends on both the underlying type of lesion and the general condition of each patient. The outcome is often fair. Ventricular septal defects (VSDs) are also among the most common congenital heart diseases, being the most common congenital defect at birth up to 40% of all congenital heart diseases. VSDs may involve the interventricular septum (IVS) as an isolated defect, as part of the other congenital disease(s), or as a part of complex congenital heart disease including (but not limited to) the following diseases: Conotruncal defects, Tetralogy of Fallot, Transposition of great arteries, Congenitally corrected transposition, Double outlet right ventricle, Double outlet left ventricle, Left-sided obstructive lesions, Subaortic stenosis, Aortic coarctation, Interrupted aortic arc. Also, there is an important classification of the lesion based on anatomic and embryologic origins. Different diagnostic methods are used to detect the disease. Most small VSDs close spontaneously during the first year of life, while the larger ones or “multiple VSD” cases usually need intervention. If untreated, pulmonary hypertension and systemic desaturation may ensue. Although spontaneous closure is a common phenomenon in infancy and childhood, it occurs much less frequently in adulthood.