Dextro-transposition of the great arteries natural history


 * Associate Editor(s)-In-Chief: Priyamvada Singh, M.B.B.S. [mailto:psingh@perfuse.org]; ; Keri Shafer, M.D. [mailto:kshafer@bidmc.harvard.edu]; Assistant Editor(s)-In-Chief: Kristin Feeney, B.S. [mailto:kfeeney@perfuse.org]

Overview
The natural history of children with dextro-transposition of the great arteries (d-TGA) depend on whether they have simple or complex d-TGA.

Natural history

 * The prognosis on simple d-TGA depends mainly on the presence of cardiac shunts such as fossa ovalis, atrial septal defect, ventricular septal defect, and ductus arteriosus. If one or more of these defects are present, blood will be mixed, allowing a small amount of oxygen to be delivered to the body, giving an opportunity to the newborn to survive long enough to receive corrective surgery.
 * With complex d-TGA, the infant will fail to thrive and is unlikely to survive longer than a year if corrective surgery is not performed. Generally, if the defect (d-TGA) is not corrected during the first year of life, the patient's condition will deteriorate to the point of inoperability.
 * Modern repair procedures within the ideal timeframe and without additional complications have a very high success rate.

Acknowledgements and Initial Contributors to Page
Leida Perez, M.D.