[Roentgeno-clinical comparisons in atrial septal defects in adults]

A total of 117 adult patients with atrioseptal defect were studied by routine X-ray method and cardiac catheterization. The X-ray indices of pulmonary blood circulation and heart were juxtaposed that reflect the hypervolemia and hypertension with oxyhemometric volumetric percentage of the shunt, the sytolic pressure in pulmonary artery and the extent of the defect established at operation. A correlation was established between the X-ray determined stage of the pulmonary changes (from the stage of isolated hypervolemia to anatomic-fixed hypertension) and the pressure. A proportionalily was established in the degree of the shunt with the dimension of the heart with X-ray big hearts. With the small hearts, the shunt is unpredictable. There was a considerable difference depending on he size of right auricle, on the extent of the defect and the shunt mainly in the big auricles. With small auricles, the defect and shunt could be of different extent. The risk not to perform catheterization because of a small shunt in auricles with a length of 55 mm is acceptable. At the same time a hemodynamically insignificant shunt could be expected with right pulmonary artery to 17 mm. The right ventricular chanjes could be due mainly to volumetric loading.