Abstract

ABSTRACT
This is a retrospective study that was set out to describe the spectrum of congenital heart disease using
echocardiography in two main centers in Basra over a period of 24 months from June (2006-2008). Children with the
diagnosis of congenital heart disease were selected; information obtained from their records included age, gender,
clinical diagnosis and chocardiography finding. Five hundred seventy patients had congenital heart disease making
40% of 1414 examined children. There were 309(54%) males and 261(46%) females (ratio 1.2:1); their ages ranged
from 3 days to 19 years. Two hundred forty four (42.8%) children referred for echocardiography before the age of
one year and two hundred one (35.2%) were 1-4 years of age. Ventricular septal defect was the most common
congenital heart disease present in 247 patients (43.3%), of these (81.8%) were membranous in type, 41(16.6%)
were muscular, and 4(1.6%) were supracristal type. The second commonest congenital heart disease diagnosed by
echocardiography was tetralogy of Fallot in 72(12.6%) of examined children. Sixty eight (11.9%) had atrial septal
defects, out of which 55(80.9%) were of secundum type, 7(10.3%) were primum, 5(7.4%) had sinus venosus defect
and only one case with coronary sinus defect. Distribution of specific lesions and sex distribution were similar to
findings from other parts of the world; However, the overall detection rate at 1 year of age was lower, with increasing
availability of echocardiography facilities more cases of congenital heart defects are likely to be identified early.