Abbott Specimen 36
Specimen Card Nomenclature
Defect of ventricular septum at base (large), deviation to right of aorta (marked, aorta two-thirds from right ventricle), hypoplasia of pulmonary artery, dilatation of aorta, rudimentary pulmonary cusps, anomalous aortic valve and grooving of aorta
International Classification of Diseases
Tetralogy of Fallot and Atrioventricular Septal Defect
Atlas Illustration
None
Donor
Dr. Maude Abbott
Date
Unknown
Age
Infant
Description
The opened left ventricle shows a 1 x 0.5 defect in the septum at the base of the aortic valve. The aorta (A) above this is dilated. The pulmonary outflow tract (arrow) is markedly narrowed.
Comment
The specimen was salvaged from the museum fire in 1907; thus, its donor is listed as Dr. Abbott. The original donor and date of acquisition are unknown.
Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) is associated with pulmonary stenosis, an outlet ventricular septal defect with an over-riding aorta, normal atrioventricular junctions and separate tricuspid and mitral valves. Atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD) is associated with a common atrioventricular valve that typically spans a large defect in a location specific to AVSDs.
In this unusual combination, the outlet ventricular septal defect specific to TOF is confluent with that seen with AVSD. This defect is usually very large; typically, the leaflets of the common AV valve cross through it. Such a combination of anomalies is challenging to repair surgically.
