How would a mismatch of AV and VA connections present on echocardiography?

Prepare for the Fetal Echocardiography Test. Utilize flashcards and multiple-choice questions that come with hints and explanations. Ace your exam preparation!

Multiple Choice

How would a mismatch of AV and VA connections present on echocardiography?

A mismatch between AV and VA connections means the way the atria connect to the ventricles does not align with how the ventricles connect to the great arteries. That misalignment is the hallmark of transposition of the great arteries (TGA) spectrum. In the classic pattern, the atrioventricular connections are normal (right atrium to the right ventricle, left atrium to the left ventricle) but the ventriculoarterial connections are discordant (the right ventricle gives rise to the aorta and the left ventricle to the pulmonary artery). On echo you’d see the great arteries arising from the opposite ventricle, creating two parallel circuits rather than the normal series flow. There’s another variant where the AV connections are not aligned with the VA connections in the opposite way, still producing a mismatch between where the atria feed the ventricles and where the ventricles feed the great arteries. Either pattern demonstrates the AV/VA mismatch that characterizes the transposition spectrum.

A mismatch between AV and VA connections means the way the atria connect to the ventricles does not align with how the ventricles connect to the great arteries. That misalignment is the hallmark of transposition of the great arteries (TGA) spectrum.

In the classic pattern, the atrioventricular connections are normal (right atrium to the right ventricle, left atrium to the left ventricle) but the ventriculoarterial connections are discordant (the right ventricle gives rise to the aorta and the left ventricle to the pulmonary artery). On echo you’d see the great arteries arising from the opposite ventricle, creating two parallel circuits rather than the normal series flow.

There’s another variant where the AV connections are not aligned with the VA connections in the opposite way, still producing a mismatch between where the atria feed the ventricles and where the ventricles feed the great arteries. Either pattern demonstrates the AV/VA mismatch that characterizes the transposition spectrum.

More practice questions