Surgical repair of intraventricular septal defects: report of a case.

Abstract

Evidence reveals that a high proportion of patients with intraventricular septal defects must lead lives of restricted activity and that others die prematurely. Intraventricular septal defects are commonly located high in the septum and connect the left ventricular chamber immediately proximal to the aortic valve to the right ventricular chamber in the region of the median leaflet of the tricuspid valve. Defects in this region may be associated with other defects, such as pulmonic or infundibular stenosis and overriding of the aorta. Less commonly intraventricular defects may be located lower in the muscular septum. They result from failure of the lower ventricular septum growing from the apex to meet and fuse with the downward growing aortic septum. This report deals with the surgical closure of intraventricular septal defects uncomplicated by other abnormalities. The greater pressure within the left ventricle causes a left to right shunt of blood during ventricular systole,