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Updated: Jul 15, 2026

Echocardiographic Evaluation of Atrial Communications before Transcatheter Closure
Published on: February 8, 2022
Overview: history, anatomy, timing, and results of complete atrioventricular canal
Carl L Backer1, Robert D Stewart, Constantine Mavroudis
1Division of Cardiovascular-Thoracic Surgery, Children's Memorial Hospital, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA. cbacker@childrensmemorial.org
Abstract:
The past 50 years have been marked by major advances in the care of children with complete atrioventricular canal defects. There have been important contributions from surgeons, cardiologists, and pathologists to provide us with our current understanding of the anatomy of atrioventricular canal defects and excellent surgical outcomes. In this monograph we will discuss the surgical contributions of Lillehei, Kirklin, McGoon, Maloney, Trusler, Wilcox, and Nunn. The improvements in outcomes achieved by these surgeons were made possible by the pathology and anatomy clarifications provided by Lev, Rastelli, and Anderson.
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