How do you diagnose tetralogy of Fallot?
Tetralogy of Fallot might be seen during an ultrasound (which creates pictures of the body). Some findings from the ultrasound may make the health care provider suspect a baby may have tetralogy of Fallot. If so, the health care provider can request a fetal echocardiogram to confirm the diagnosis.
What are the 4 problems in tetralogy of Fallot?
Tetralogy of Fallot is a heart defect made up of four different heart problems: ventricular septal defect, overriding aorta, pulmonary stenosis and right ventricular hypertrophy.
How is tetralogy of Fallot corrected?
Surgery for tetralogy of Fallot involves open-heart surgery to correct the defects (intracardiac repair) or a temporary procedure that uses a shunt. Most babies and older children have intracardiac repair.
Can you diagnose tetralogy of Fallot in utero?
Tetralogy of Fallot may be diagnosed during a routine pregnancy ultrasound or in some cases after the baby is born. If a heart defect is detected during pregnancy, you may be referred to a fetal center for a comprehensive evaluation and specialized care.
Can TOF be detected before birth?
Prenatal diagnosis of tetralogy of Fallot Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) is a congenital heart defect that can be diagnosed either before or after a baby is born.
Why polycythemia occurs in tetralogy of Fallot?
Ventricular septal defects are usually severe in this form of the disorder. Severe cyanosis, alarmingly low levels of circulating oxygen, and excessive circulating red blood cells (polycythemia) are the major features of pseudotruncus arteriosus.
What is the primary defect in tetralogy of Fallot?
In tetralogy of Fallot, the aorta is in the wrong position. It’s shifted to the right and lies directly above the hole in the heart wall (ventricular septal defect). As a result, the aorta receives a mix of oxygen-rich and oxygen-poor blood from both the right and left ventricles.
When is surgery needed for tetralogy of Fallot?
Tetralogy of Fallot surgery is typically done in the first year of a child’s life to correct a congenital (something that’s there from birth) heart defect.
Does tetralogy of Fallot require surgery?
Tetralogy of Fallot must be repaired with open-heart surgery, either soon after birth or later in infancy. The goal of surgery is to repair the four defects of tetralogy of Fallot so the heart can work as normally as possible. Repairing the defects can greatly improve a child’s health and quality of life.
Can you see TOF on ultrasound?
Out of the 85 detected heart defects, 9 were Tetralogy of Fallot, which represents a frequency of 10%. The sensitivity of ultrasound in the detection of TOF was 55.55 % and specificity was 100%. Ultrasound has a good positive predictive value in the detection of TOF of 100%.
Can tetralogy of Fallot be diagnosed before birth?
Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) is a congenital heart defect that can be diagnosed either before or after a baby is born.
Can tetralogy of Fallot be seen on ultrasound?
Conclusion: Fetuses with tetralogy of Fallot may present with only a ventricular septal defect and aortic septal override by prenatal ultrasound examination. Pulmonary artery stenosis is not always present at initial ultrasound examination, but this finding can develop or worsen during pregnancy.