[The natural course of atrial septal defects]

61 patients at the age of 18 to 70 years with untreated atrial septum defect were examined 7.5 to 21 (on the average 10.5) years after the first recognition. Subjective symptomatology, clinical picture, size of the heart, mean pressure of the pulmonary artery and shunt volume at the beginning and at the end of the period of observation were analysed. The results reveal an above all favourable prognosis of the congenital malformation. In a course without complications an age can be reached adequate to the average life-expectance. After the 40th year of age, however, in 75% of the patients complaints appeared or their number increased. With growing age the size of the heart and the frequency of disturbances of the cardiac rhythm increased. In the small left-to right-shunt (less than 30% of the pulmonary flow) in the majority of the cases (85%) the prognosis proved to be good. Even in shunt volumes of more than 60% in half of the patients no essential deterioration developed in the period of observation. No clear relations were found between the mean pressure of the pulmonary artery and the clinical degree of severity. The indication to the operative correction of the atrial septum defect diagnosed only at the adult age demands a critical individual judgement, in which case apart from the haemodynamic parameters anamnesis and clinical findings within a cardiological observation of the course are of particular importance.