Spectrum of congenital heart diseases in Basra : an echocardiogrphy study

This is a retrospective study that was set out to describe the spectrum of congenital heart disease using echocardiography in two main centers in Basra over a period of 24 months from June (2006-2008). Children with the diagnosis of congenital heart disease were selected; information obtained from their records included age, gender, clinical diagnosis and chocardiography finding. Five hundred seventy patients had congenital heart disease making 40% of 1414 examined children. There were 309 (54%) males and 261 (46%) females (ratio 1.2 : 1) ; their ages ranged from 3 days to 19 years. Two hundred forty four (42.8%) children referred for echocardiography before the age of one year and two hundred one (35.2%) were 1-4 years of age. Ventricular septal defect was the most common congenital heart disease present in 247 patients (43.3%), of these (81.8%) were membranous in type, 41(16.6%) were muscular, and 4(1.6%) were supracristal type. The second commonest congenital heart disease diagnosed by echocardiography was tetralogy of Fallot in 72 (12.6%) of examined children. Sixty eight (11.9%) had atrial septal defects, out of which 55 (80.9%) were of secundum type, 7 (10.3%) were primum, 5 (7.4%) had sinus venosus defect and only one case with coronary sinus defect. Distribution of specific lesions and sex distribution were similar to findings from other parts of the world ; However, the overall detection rate at 1 year of age was lower, with increasing availability of echocardiography facilities more cases of congenital heart defects are likely to be identified early.