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A Comprehensive Clinical Genetics Approach to Critical Congenital Heart Disease in Infancy
Amy R Shikany1, Benjamin J Landis2, Ashley Parrott3
1The Heart Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH.
Insights
Genetic testing in infants with critical congenital heart disease (CHD) yielded diagnoses in 26% of cases. Specific heart defects and extracardiac features like brain abnormalities increased this yield, guiding genetic diagnosis.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Medical Genetics
- Congenital Heart Disease Research
Background:
- Critical congenital heart disease (CHD) is a major cause of infant mortality.
- Comprehensive genetic evaluation is increasingly important for understanding CHD.
- Genotype-phenotype correlations can inform diagnosis and management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the frequency of genetic diagnoses in infants with critical CHD.
- To identify specific CHD subtypes and associated features linked to genetic diagnoses.
- To explore genotype-phenotype correlations in this population.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective chart review of infants (<1 month) with CHD evaluated by cardiovascular genetics (2010-2015).
- CHD classification using structured phenotype definitions.
- Statistical analysis (chi-squared, Fisher exact tests) to associate phenotypes with abnormal genetic testing results.
Main Results:
- Overall abnormal genetic testing yield was 26% in 293 infants.
- Higher yield in multiple congenital anomalies (39%) vs. isolated CHD (20%).
- Right ventricular obstructive defects, ear/nose/throat, and brain abnormalities were associated with abnormal genetic testing. Small for gestational age/intrauterine growth retardation and dysmorphic features also showed associations.
Conclusions:
- A comprehensive cardiovascular genetics approach is valuable for infants with critical CHD.
- Specific cardiac and extracardiac features can guide genetic testing and diagnosis.
- Identifying genotype-phenotype correlations aids in understanding CHD etiology.
Objective:
To investigate the frequency of genetic diagnoses among infants with critical congenital heart disease (CHD) using a comprehensive cardiovascular genetics approach and to identify genotype-phenotype correlations.
Study Design:
A retrospective chart review of patients evaluated by cardiovascular genetics in a pediatric cardiac intensive care unit from 2010 to 2015 was performed. Infants with CHD who were <1 month of age were included. CHD was classified using structured phenotype definitions. Cardiac and noncardiac phenotypes were tested for associations with abnormal genetic testing using χ1 and Fisher exact tests.
Results:
Genetic evaluation was completed in 293 infants with CHD, of whom 213 had isolated congenital heart disease (iCHD) and 80 had multiple congenital anomalies. Overall, the yield of abnormal genetic testing was 26%. The multiple congenital anomalies cohort had a greater yield of genetic testing (39%) than the iCHD cohort (20%) (OR 2.7). Using a non-hierarchical CHD classification and excluding 22q11.2 deletion and common aneuploidies, right ventricular obstructive defects were associated with abnormal genetic testing (P = .0005). Extracardiac features associated with abnormal genetic testing included ear, nose, and throat (P = .003) and brain (P = .0001) abnormalities. A diagnosis of small for gestational age or intrauterine growth retardation also was associated with abnormal genetic testing (P = .0061), as was presence of dysmorphic features (P = .0033, OR 3.5). Infants without dysmorphia with iCHD or multiple congenital anomalies had similar frequencies of abnormal genetic testing.
Conclusions:
The present study provides evidence to support a comprehensive cardiovascular genetics approach in evaluating infants with critical CHD while also identifying important genotype-phenotype considerations.
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