OBJECTIVE:Atrial septal defect is the most common congenital heart disease in adulthood. In this study we present morphological and clinical features of our operated 591 adult patients with atrial septal defect.
METHODS: Between september 1991 and november 2008, 591 patients were operated for atrial septal defect in our hospital. There were 514 men and 77 women and mean age during operation was 20±2 years old (age ranges between 18 and 61 years old). Diagnosis was achieved by transesophageal echocardiography and then cardiac catheterisation was performed in all patients before surgery. The presence and type of atrial septal defects and accompanying cardiac abnormalities recorded. In this retrospective study categorical variables were analyzed by Chi-square test and continuous variables were analyzed by Kruskal-Wallis test. Mann- Whitney U test was used in intergroup comparisions.
RESULTS: 473 of patients (80%) were secundum type atrial septal defect, 79 patients (13%) were sinus venosus type atrial septal defect and 39 patients (7%) were primum type atrial septal defect. Main clinical sign in ostium primum type atrial septal defect patients was palpitation (63%). Most of the secundum type atrial septal defect patients were asymptomatic (93%). There were no significant differences among the types regard to sex and ages.
CONCLUSION: Patients with atrial septal defect can easily diagnose and operate in developed regions in childhood but types oand clinical signs of atrial septal defects must be kept in mind of surgeons who work in undeveloped countries.