Aorto-pulmonary Window, a Rare Congenital Heart Disease: Case Report

Abstract

Aortopulmonary window (APW) is an uncommon congenital cardiac malformation, accounting for 0.1% of all congenital cardiac diseases. It is a defect between the ascending aorta and the trunk of the pulmonary artery. Such abnormality may occur as an isolated lesion or it can be associated with other cardiac abnormalities in one third to one half of cases. Clinical and hemodynamic presentation of this condition depends on the size of the defect and on the associated lesions. It is usually fatal in infancy or childhood if untreated with the development of irreversible pulmonary hypertension. Once the diagnosis is made, surgery must be performed quickly to avoid irreversible pulmonary vascular disease. We report the case of a 5-month-old infant with APW who was referred to our center by respiratory symptoms and heart murmurs.