A rare presentation of common arterial trunk with intact ventricular septum

Abstract

Common arterial trunk is a rare anomaly on its own, but with an intact ventricular septum it is extremely rare. An unexpected finding at autopsy prompted a review of the literature and a review of the developmental considerations associated with the outflow tracts. The case presented was an intrauterine fetal death at 37 weeks gestation. At autopsy, the only anatomic abnormalities were pulmonary dominant common arterial trunk with an intact ventricular septum, ventriculo-arterial septal defect, coarctation and widely patent arterial duct. A review of the literature and the developmental concepts related to the outflow tracts of the developing heart demonstrate the rare nature of this particular variation of common arterial trunk.