Congenitally corrected transposition of great arteries: a case series of five unoperated African children

Abstract

Background Congenitally corrected transposition of great arteries (ccTGA) is rare. It is commonly associated with ventricular septal defect (VSD), pulmonary stenosis and heart block. Early anatomic repair is recommended between 3 and 6 months of age to prevent development of tricuspid valve regurgitation and systemic right ventricular failure. Case presentation We retrospectively identified five cases of ccTGA. Cases were between one and 13 years of age. All the cases were unoperated. Four of the five cases had associated intracardiac defects/complications. These included: VSD, pulmonary stenosis, tricuspid valve regurgitation, right ventricular systolic dysfunction and heart block. Conclusion These cases demonstrate the challenges of access to early diagnosis and surgery in a low resource setting. This delay in anatomic repair leads to complications of tricuspid valve regurgitation and systemic right ventricular failure.