[Right atrial isomerism in adults. Clinical and echocardiographic study]

The most important feature of right atrial isomerism in the heart is the presence of both atria with morphologically right atrial appendages. The main aim of this study was to do a description of clinical and echocardiographic findings in adult patients with right atrial isomerism. A total of eleven consecutive patients were identified with a diagnosis of right atrial isomerism and complex congenital heart disease. A complete clinical history and transthoracic and/or transesophageal echocardiography were performed in all patients. Also a cardiac catheterization was realized in seven patients. The functional class according the New York Heart Association was I in one patient, II in 5 and III in 5. The laboratory studies showed severe polyglobulia. In 3 cases Howell-Jolly bodies were present. The electrocardiogram showed migratory pacemaker in the 54.5% of cases. The cardiac position was dextrocardia in six patients (54.5%) and levocardia in five (45.5%). Six patients (54.5%) had complete atrioventricular septal defects, 4 (36.4%) double inlet and one absence of a right atrioventricular connection (9.1%). The most frequent ventriculoarterial connection was double-inlet in 8 (72.76%) patients. In 4 cases hypoplasia of the pulmonary artery was found. Six patients had severe pulmonary stenosis and one pulmonary atresia. The pulmonary venous drainage was into the left-sided atrium in 3 cases (27.2%), into the right-sided atrium in 4 (36.4%), into the midline of the atrium through a collector in 3 cases (27.4%) and by vertical vein in one (9.0%). Insufficiency of the atrioventricular valve was found in 7 cases (63.6%). Three patients (27.3%) went to surgery for implantation of a fistula. It is a series of adult patients with right atrial isomerism and complex congenital heart disease that survived to adult live. The clinical and echocardiographic assessment actually allows establishing the correct diagnosis, to take therapeutic decisions and to do the follow-up in all patients. Till now we could not yet determine the differences of these patients in relation to the general population when they develop chronic degenerative disease.