Atrioventricular Canal Defects

Excerpt

Atrioventricular canal defects (AVCDs) comprise a spectrum of defects such as exclusive ventricular or atrial defects, septal defects, atrioventricular anomalies, and endocardial cushion defects. AVCDs are more commonly associated with chromosomal abnormalities, especially trisomy 21. There have also been incidences where there have been non-syndromic AVCDs.

Congenital heart diseases (CHD) are one of the most important causes of infant mortality. It has invariably led to adverse outcomes on morbidity, lifestyle, and medical costs. The prevalence of ventricular and atrial septal defects is twice as high as the cyanotic heart diseases like tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) and transposition of great arteries (TGA). With the use of dynamic echocardiography, cardiologists have managed to diagnose early, asymptomatic, and even minute atrioventricular (AV) canal defects, which could be one of the reasons for the increased incidence of the CHDs over the past couple of decades. The incidence of CHDs in developing countries is yet to be established though it seems to be fairly similar to that of developed countries.