Persistent truncus arteriosus classification

Associate Editor-in-Chief: Keri Shafer, M.D. [mailto:kshafer@bidmc.harvard.edu]

Classfication
The most well-known classification was the fourfold system developed by Collett and Edwards in 1949. Collett/Edwards Types I, II, and III are distinguished by the branching pattern of the pulmonary arteries:


 * Type I: truncus -> one pulmonary artery -> two lateral pulmonary arteries
 * Type II: truncus -> two posterior/posterolateral pulmonary arteries
 * Type III: truncus -> two lateral pulmonary arteries

The "Type IV" proposed in 1949 is no longer considered a form of PTA by most modern sources.

Another well-known classification was defined by Van Praaghs in 1965.