Simplifying the clinical differential diagnosis of the most common types of congenital heart defects

Abstract

Summary Realizing the relative frequency of congenital cardiac defects and the difficulty in differentiating the ninety types, the many rare and unusual kinds are eliminated in a plan for the simplification of the clinical differential diagnosis of the most common varieties. We discuss the cardinal features in the embryology of the human heart together with the characteristic clinical findings in the two most common cyanotic types (pulmonary stenosis and large septal lesion) and the two most frequent acyanotic types (patent ductus arteriosis and small patent interventricular septal lesion). Figures showing the pathologic changes and physiology of the different lesions are presented. The diagnostic importance of stethograms, electrocardiograms, and roentgenograms is analyzed.