title: Hypoplastic left heart syndrome associated with left ventricle-coronary artery-pulmonary artery fistula: prenatal diagnosis and histological correlation.
abstract: We describe an unusual case of left ventricle-left coronary artery-pulmonary artery fistula associated with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) and a ventricular septal defect, in which findings on echocardiography and histological analysis were correlated. The diagnosis was made at 22 weeks of gestation. We speculated that the presence of the fistula was the primary cause of the HLHS due to the existence of the ventricular septal defect that nullified the intraventricular pressure gradient, which is typical of hypoplastic ventricles and thought to be responsible for the secondary development of fistulas in other cases.
authors.affiliation: Fetal Cardiology Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Federico II of Naples, Naples, Italy. paladini@unina.it
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Paladini
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Caruso
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sglavo
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lapadula
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Parisi
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Martinelli
mesh_terms: D000032:Abortion, Therapeutic; D000328:Adult; D001159:Arterio-Arterial Fistula / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D018618:Echocardiography, Doppler, Color; D005260:Female; D006345:Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D018636:Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011262:Pregnancy Trimester, Second; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal / Q000379:methods*