CASE REPORT
Role of echocardiography-derived pulmonary to systemic flow ratio in diagnosing aortopulmonary window: A case report
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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.
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