Ventricular septal defect chest xray

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Associate Editors-In-Chief: Keri Shafer, M.D. [mailto:kshafer@bidmc.harvard.edu]; Atif Mohammad, M.D., Priyamvada Singh, MBBS

Chest X ray findings in ventricular septal defect

Chest X Ray
Small VSD:

a) Normal heart size and pulmonary vascularity.

Medium-sized defect (or moderate left-to-right shunt):

a) Slight cardiomegaly. It can cause signs of left ventricular dilatation.

b) Increased pulmonary vascular markings in both the central and the peripheral portions of the lung field.

Large VSDs, Eisenmenger syndrome :

a) Left ventricular hypertrophy may regress in adults. Reversal of shunts can cause right ventricular hypertrophy that in turn causes the apex to tilt upward.

b) Dilated proximal pulmonary vessels, pruned peripheral vessels (pulmonary hypertension). Also, calcification of pulmonary artery may be seen.