INTRODUCTION The latest achievements in molecular diagnosis create new possibilities for evaluation of congenital abnormalities. AIM To present our preliminary experience with genetic diagnosis of congenital combined conotruncal heart defects. METHODS The analysis comprised 35 families with more than one member suffering from conotruncal heart defects (Group I) and 10 families (Group II) ha...

Retinoid-dependent pathways play a central role in regulating cardiac morphogenesis. Recently, we characterized gene-targeted RXR alpha -/- embryos, which display an atrial-like ventricular phenotype with the development of heart failure and lethality at embryonic day 14.5. To quantitate the frequency and complexity of cardiac morphogenic defects, we now use microdissection and scanning electro...

Conotruncal anomalies comprise a diverse group of congenital heart defects involving the outflow tracts of the heart and the great vessels, including tetralogy of Fallot, transposition of the great arteries, truncus arteriosus, interrupted aortic arch, and other anomalies. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging plays an increasingly important role in the evaluation of patients with the...

The nature and severity of congenital heart disease in 78 patients who presented with clefts of the lip and/or palate is reported. The prevalence of bilateral cleft lip and palate in patients with heart lesions was much higher than in cleft patients with normal hearts. Cardiac defects were predominantly conotruncal. Tetralogy of Fallot was present in 24 percent of patients; the prevalence of tr...

BACKGROUND Although congenital heart defects (CHD) are the most common and serious group of birth defects, relatively little is known about the causes of these conditions and there are no established prevention strategies. There is evidence suggesting that the risk of CHD in general, and conotruncal and ventricular septal defects in particular, may be related to maternal folate status as well a...