CASE REPORT
Role of echocardiography-derived pulmonary to systemic flow ratio in diagnosing aortopulmonary window: A case report
 
More details
Hide details
1
Department of Cardiac Technology, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, SAUDI ARABIA
 
2
King Fahd Hospital of the University, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, SAUDI ARABIA
 
 
Publication date: 2024-11-26
 
 
Electron J Gen Med 2024;21(6):em613
 
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
Background:
Aortopulmonary window (APW) is a rare congenital cardiac anomaly characterized by abnormal communication between the ascending aorta and the main pulmonary artery. Without early surgical correction, this condition has a poor prognosis. However, few case reports have described adult survival of patients with untreated APW.

Case presentation:
We report the case of a 15-year-old girl who developed irreversible pulmonary hypertension due to untreated APW. Initially, we suspected the presence of an extracardiac shunt using a simple calculation of the echocardiography-derived pulmonary-to-systemic flow (Qp/Qs) ratio during a routine echocardiography study, which provided us with a clue to proceed with further multimodal diagnostic evaluation. In this report, we describe a comprehensive diagnostic workup, including right heart catheterization and computed tomography imaging, which confirmed the diagnosis of severe irreversible pulmonary hypertension secondary to a large untreated APW.

Conclusion:
This case report highlights the clinical utility of the echocardiography-derived Qp/Qs ratio as a valuable, noninvasive tool for diagnosing APW, which can lead to severe irreversible pulmonary hypertension. The multidisciplinary approach demonstrated in this case serves as a valuable example for clinicians evaluating similar cases. Therefore, APW should be considered in the differential diagnosis of severe pulmonary hypertension, even in adult patients.

REFERENCES (13)
1.
Richardson JV, Doty DB, Rossi NP, Ehrenhaft JL. The spectrum of anomalies of aortopulmonary septation. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 1979;78(1):21-7. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-... PMid:449383.
 
2.
Backer CL, Mavroudis C. Surgical management of aortopulmonary window: A 40-year experience. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg. 2002;21(5):773-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1010-... PMid:12062263.
 
3.
Soares AM, Atik E, Cortêz TM, Albuquerque AMT, Castro CP, Barbero-Marcial M, Ebaid M. Aortopulmonary window. Clinical and surgical assessment of 18 cases. Arq Bras Cardiol. 1999;73(1):59-74. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0066-... PMid:10684142.
 
4.
Redington AN, Rigby ML, Ho SY, Gunthard J, Anderson RH. Aortic atresia with aortopulmonary window and interruption of the aortic arch. Pediatr Cardiol. 1991;12(1):49-51. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF0223... PMid:1997985.
 
5.
Shore DF, Ho SY, Anderson RH, de Leval M, Lincoln C. Aortopulmonary septal defect coexisting with ventricular septal defect and pulmonary atresia. Ann Thorac Surg. 1983;35(2):132-7. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0003-... PMid:6824379.
 
6.
Brunet-Garcia L, Zuccarino F, Moscoso Garrido BA, Carretero Bellon JM. Interrupted aortic arch associated with aortopulmonary window: The role of multidetector computed tomography angiography. World J Pediatr Congenit Heart Surg. 2023;14(2):231-3. https://doi.org/10.1177/215013... PMid:36330683.
 
7.
Demir IH, Erdem A, Sarıtaş T, Demir F, Erol N, Yücel IK, Aydemir NA, Celebi A. Diagnosis, treatment and outcomes of patients with aortopulmonary window. Balkan Med J. 2013;30(2):191-6. https://doi.org/10.5152/balkan... PMid:25207099 PMCid:PMC4115960.
 
8.
van Son JA, Puga FJ, Danielson GK, Seward JB, Mair DD, Schaff HV, Ilstrup DM. Aortopulmonary window: Factors associated with early and late success after surgical treatment. Mayo Clin Proc. 1993;68(2):128-33. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0025-... PMid:8423692.
 
9.
Yüksel İÖ, Köklü E, Arslan Ş, Üreyen ÇM, Küçükseymen S. Aortopulmonary window in adulthood: Surviving at 22 years without intervention or pulmonary vascular disease. Turk Kardiyol Dern Ars. 2016;44(4):332-4. https://doi.org/10.5543/tkda.2... PMid:27372619.
 
10.
Kose M, Ucar S, Emet S, Akpinar TS, Yalin K. A case of aortopulmonary window: Asymptomatic until the first pregnancy. Case Rep Cardiol. 2015;2015:935253. https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/9... PMid:26457208 PMCid:PMC4589611.
 
11.
Cui M, Xia B, Wang H, Liu H, Yin X. A rare case of adult aortopulmonary window combined with anomalous origin of the right pulmonary artery from the aorta leading to eisenmenger syndrome. J Int Med Res. 2021;49(1):300060520984656. https://doi.org/10.1177/030006... PMid:33472471 PMCid:PMC7829515.
 
12.
Sefiyeva GG, Malishevskaya DS, Chynybekova AN, Bautin AE, Shadrina UM, Alekseeva DV, Urumova EL, Irtyuga OB. Clinical features and pregnancy outcomes in women with aortopulmonary window defect: Case series. Eur Heart J Case Rep. 2023;7(10):ytad501. https://doi.org/10.1093/ehjcr/... PMid:37900666 PMCid:PMC10612472.
 
13.
Dev M, Sharma M, Rana N. Large unrepaired aortopulmonary window presenting in adulthood. Curr Cardiol Rev. 2020;16(1):73-6. https://doi.org/10.2174/157340... PMid:31092183 PMCid:PMC7393594.
 
eISSN:2516-3507
Journals System - logo
Scroll to top