In a fetal echo report, AV/VA concordance refers to what?

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Multiple Choice

In a fetal echo report, AV/VA concordance refers to what?

AV/VA concordance means that the heart’s connections are matched in two ways: each atrium connects to the correct ventricle, and each ventricle connects to the correct great artery. In a normal fetal heart, the right atrium drains into the right ventricle through the tricuspid valve, the left atrium drains into the left ventricle through the mitral valve, the right ventricle pumps to the pulmonary artery, and the left ventricle pumps to the aorta. When both of these pairings are correct, we have AV/VA concordance. This is the best answer because it explicitly describes the normal alignment of the atrioventricular connections and the ventriculoarterial connections between the heart chambers and the great arteries. A description of a mismatch between atrial connections and ventricles points to AV discordance, not concordance. Merely referencing the arrangement of the atrial chambers does not address how the ventricles connect to the great arteries, and describing the great arteries’ position relative to the sternum speaks to external orientation rather than intracardiac connections.

AV/VA concordance means that the heart’s connections are matched in two ways: each atrium connects to the correct ventricle, and each ventricle connects to the correct great artery. In a normal fetal heart, the right atrium drains into the right ventricle through the tricuspid valve, the left atrium drains into the left ventricle through the mitral valve, the right ventricle pumps to the pulmonary artery, and the left ventricle pumps to the aorta. When both of these pairings are correct, we have AV/VA concordance.

This is the best answer because it explicitly describes the normal alignment of the atrioventricular connections and the ventriculoarterial connections between the heart chambers and the great arteries. A description of a mismatch between atrial connections and ventricles points to AV discordance, not concordance. Merely referencing the arrangement of the atrial chambers does not address how the ventricles connect to the great arteries, and describing the great arteries’ position relative to the sternum speaks to external orientation rather than intracardiac connections.

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