Survival to the Age of 52 Years in a Man with Unrepaired Tetralogy of Fallot

• Published in: Echocardiography (Mount Kisco, N.Y.) Vol. 21; no. 7; pp. 631 - 637
• Main Authors: Makaryus, Amgad N., Aronov, Iosif, Diamond, Joseph, Park, Chong H., Rosen, Stacey E., Stephen, Bibiana
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 350 Main Street , Malden , MA 02148 , USA Blackwell Science Inc 01-10-2004
• Subjects: Aortography; Bundle-Branch Block - diagnosis; Cardiac Catheterization; congenital heart disease; cyanotic heart disease; Echocardiography, Doppler; Electrocardiography; Fatal Outcome; Heart Atria - diagnostic imaging; Heart Atria - pathology; Humans; Hypertrophy, Right Ventricular - diagnosis; Male; Middle Aged; survival; tetralogy of Fallot; Tetralogy of Fallot - diagnosis; Tetralogy of Fallot - diagnostic imaging; Ventricular Outflow Obstruction - diagnosis
• ISSN: 0742-2822; 1540-8175
• DOI: 10.1111/j.0742-2822.2004.03160.x

Tetralogy of Fallot is the most common cyanotic congenital heart defect during infancy. It is composed of a ventricular septal defect, an overriding aorta, obstruction of right ventricular outflow, and right ventricular hypertrophy. Most patients experience cyanosis at birth and die in childhood without surgical intervention. The rate of survival at 40 years without surgical correction is only 3%. We present the case of a man with tetralogy of Fallot who survived until the age of 52 years without surgical intervention.