Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 24, 2026

Echocardiographic Evaluation of Atrial Communications before Transcatheter Closure
Published on: February 8, 2022
Ventricular septal defect closure in tetralogy of Fallot: the aortic rule
Pierre Wauthy1, Hélène Demanet, Jacques P Goldstein
1Department of Cardiac Surgery, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Brugmann, Brussels, Belgium. pierre.wauthy@wanadoo.be
Abstract:
Ventricular septal defect (VSD) closure is an important part of the surgical repair of tetralogy of Fallot and related anomalies. Visual appreciation of the VSD size (either transinfundibular or transatrial) can be misleading. My colleagues and I describe a simple and precise way to predict the size and shape of the VSD patch before extracorporeal circulation: the patch should be circular with a diameter identical to that of the mid ascending aorta.
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The AV valves prevent the backflow of blood from the ventricles to the atria during ventricular contraction. These valves function with the assistance of the chordae tendineae and papillary muscles. When the ventricles are relaxed, the chordae tendineae are slack, allowing blood to flow from the atria into the...

