[Inversion of the ventricles and major vessels]

The authors carried out a detailed anatomic examination of hearts from 17 fatal cases in which the diagnosis of corrected transposition of the aorta and pulmonary artery had been made by the clinical data. Corrected transposition was found in 13 preparations and rare complicated heart defects in the other 4. The paper describes at length the anatomy of the ventricles, great vessels and coronary arteries of the heart in corrected transposition as well as the anatomy of the accompanying defects. The analysis of the observations shows the defect of the interventricular septum, insufficiency of the arterial atrioventricular valve, and pulmonary artery stenosis to be the most frequent accompanying heart defects in corrected transposition of the aorta and pulmonary artery. Not infrequently, several accompanying defects were combined in one heart. The authors confirm the conclusion of other investigators concerning the necessity of segmentary approach to the study of the heart structure in conotruncus abnormalities.