A Practical Atlas of Congenital Heart Disease

Book excerpt: Developed to integrate cardiac anatomy with surgical repair by reviewing individual heart defects within an easy-to-follow reference format, A Practical Atlas of Congenital Heart Disease is designed to allow the reader to examine a congenitally malformed heart while referring to its anatomic and surgical description on a single page spread. Simple line drawings are used to identify the diagnostic anatomic features and to emphasize important surgical landmarks, allowing readers to differentiate the infinitely variable morphology in clinical practice. The anatomic pathologist will also gain an understanding of surgical repairs of postoperative hearts. For virtually every malformation, the position of the specialized conduction tissue is indicated. The book provides examples of malformations and the relevant surgical considerations, reflecting clinical practice: anatomical specimens are shown in the anatomical position, while the surgical figures are shown as they would be seen operatively. This enables the reader to practice mental imaging of the morphologic and spatial relationships that are integral to congenital heart surgery. In addition, some of the illustrated cases and morphology presented in these pages are themselves rare and sometimes unique examples of particular congenital heart malformations.