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Aortopulmonary window - Symptom

Alternative Names

Aortopulmonary septal defect; Aortopulmonary fenestration

Symptoms:

If the defect is small, it may not cause any symptoms. However, most defects are large.

Symptoms can include:

Delayed growth
Heart failure
Irritability
Poor eating and lack of weight gain
Rapid breathing
Rapid heartbeat
Respiratory infections

Signs and tests:

The pediatrician will usually hear an abnormal heart sound (murmur) when listening to the child's heart with a stethoscope.

The doctor may order tests such as:

Cardiac catheterization - a thin tube inserted into the arteries around the heart to view the heart and blood vessels and directly measure pressure in the heart and lungs
Chest x-ray
Echocardiogram
MRI of the heart

Aortopulmonary window

Reviewed last on: 2/5/2010
Kurt R. Schumacher, MD, Pediatric Cardiology, University of Michigan Congenital Heart Center, Ann Arbor, MI. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Miscellaneous congenital cardiac conditions. In: Park MK. Pediatric Cardiology for Practitioners. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa:Mosby Elsevier; 2008:chap 17.

Jansen C. Surgical repair of aortopulmonary window: thirty-seven years of experience. Pediatr Cardiol, 2006;27:552-556.

Koh Su-Mei A, Ju-Le T. Large unrepaired aortopulmonary window--survival into the seventh decade. Echocardiography, 2007;24:71-73.

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