HEMITRUNCUS ARTERIOSUS IN AN ASYMPTOMATIC YOUNG MAN - DIAGNOSTIC-VALUE OF TRANSESOPHAGEAL ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY

The aortic origin of one pulmonary artery, also called hemitruncus art eriosus, is a rare congenital anomaly with poor prognosis. In this rep ort the case of an asymptomatic 18- year-old man with a systolic preco rdial murmur and the electrocardiographic finding of biventricular hyp ertrophy is described. The diagnosis of hemitruncus was confirmed by c ardiac catheterization. Echocardiography showed biventricular hypertro phy and moderate enlargement of the right atrium and ventricle. In con trast to reports in children, the diagnosis could not be Verified by t ransthoracic echocardiography because of the lack of a satisfactory ac oustic window. On the other hand, the aortic origin of the right pulmo nary artery and the continuation of the main pulmonary artery as left pulmonary artery were visualized by transesophageal echocardiography. However, the shunt-volume could not be determined by means of the velo city-time-integral and the diameter of the right pulmonary artery beca use of the turbulent blood-flow in its proximal part.