Diagnosis

Healthcare professionals usually diagnose pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect (PA-VSD) soon after birth. They do tests to check the baby's heart health.

Tests

Tests to diagnose pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect may include:

  • Pulse oximetry. For this simple test, a small sensor clips onto a hand or foot. It checks the amount of oxygen in the blood.
  • Chest X-ray. A chest X-ray shows the shape and size of the heart and lungs.
  • Echocardiogram. This is an ultrasound of the heart. Sound waves make images of the beating heart. If it's done before birth, it's called a fetal echocardiogram. It can diagnose pulmonary atresia.
  • Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG). This quick test shows how the heart is beating. Patches with sensors, called electrodes, stick to the chest and sometimes to the arms or legs. Wires connect the patches to a computer, which prints or displays results. An ECG can find irregular heartbeats.
  • Cardiac catheterization. A doctor places a flexible, thin tube called a catheter in a blood vessel, usually in the groin or wrist, and guides it to the heart. Contrast flows through the catheter to heart arteries. The dye helps the arteries show up more clearly on images.
  • Heart CT scan, also called a cardiac CT scan. This test uses several X-rays to make pictures of the heart and blood vessels. It shows the shape of the heart and lungs. A cardiac CT can help diagnose major aortopulmonary collateral arteries (MAPCAs). Knowing about the MAPCAs is important for planning treatment.

Treatment

A baby with pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect (PA-VSD) needs treatment right away. Treatment may include one or more surgeries or procedures.

Surgeries or other procedures

A baby with pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect (PA-VSD) needs one or more surgeries or procedures to improve blood flow to the lungs. The treatments also help the heart work better. Treatment depends on the structure of the pulmonary arteries and whether there are major aortopulmonary collateral arteries (MAPCAs).

Surgeries or other procedures may include:

  • Catheter procedure. A doctor threads thin, flexible tubes called catheters into the baby's blood vessels to look at the baby's heart and lung blood flow. Sometimes a doctor places a rigid tube called a stent in the patent ductus arteriosus. This keeps the vessel open and lets blood flow into the lungs.
  • Systemic-to-pulmonary artery shunt. This surgery creates a new path from the main blood vessel leading out of the heart, called the aorta, to the pulmonary arteries. This path is called a bypass or shunt. It lets enough blood flow to the lungs. Babies may need this in the first few days of life to get more blood flow to the lungs. An example is the Blalock-Taussig shunt, also called the BT shunt. Most babies outgrow this shunt within a few months.
  • Complete repair. A surgeon may do this treatment when a baby is young or after placing a shunt or stent. During complete repair, a surgeon closes the hole in the heart. The surgeon creates a pathway between the right lower heart chamber and the pulmonary artery.
  • Unifocalization. Sometimes, when most of the blood going to the lungs is through MAPCAs, those blood vessels need to be connected. This surgery is called unifocalization. The surgery may be done in stages. A surgeon may do this as part of a complete repair. Sometimes it's the first step toward an eventual complete repair.

Babies with pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect need regular checkups by a doctor trained in heart conditions present at birth. This type of doctor is called a congenital cardiologist.

By Mayo Clinic Staff