pediatrics
Other Congenital Cardiac Anomalies
Single ventricle spectrum
These anomalies include any complex lesion with only one functional ventricle and include a hypoplastic right ventricle (RV) or left ventricle (LV) and, less commonly, a true undifferentiated single ventricular chamber. Timing of postnatal presentation depends upon the presence of an atrial septal defect, pulmonary stenosis, and a patent ductus arteriosus; infants may display heart failure or cyanosis. If not previously diagnosed on prenatal ultrasound, postnatal diagnosis is through echocardiography. Surgical management involves ensuring adequate pulmonary blood flow via a systemic to pulmonary artery anastomosis (eg, modified Blalock-Taussig-Thomas shunt [see Definitive management ]) for patients with decreased pulmonary blood flow, or protecting the pulmonary vascular bed and limiting pulmonary blood flow via pulmonary artery banding or some other intervention (such as a modified Norwood type reconstruction of the aortic and pulmonary roots, sometimes called a Damus-Kaye-Stansel anastomosis) if pulmonary overcirculation exists. Later, the 