Congenital Heart Disease

Truncus Arteriosus

Signs and Symptoms
Diagnosis
Treatment

Treatment

Your baby may receive medication to control the congestive heart failure. However, treatment for truncus arteriosus itself requires open-heart surgery to:

• Separate the pulmonary artery from the truncus. The truncus then becomes part of the aorta, the blood vessel that distributes oxygenated blood from the heart to the rest of the body.

• Close the ventricular septal defect (VSD) with a patch, usually made of GoreTex, a flexible plastic.

• Insert a tube with a valve in it to connect the newly freed pulmonary artery to the heart's right ventricle. The valve may be artificial or may be made out of human tissue. This tube will probably have to be replaced as the child grows, usually after five to 10 years, but occasionally earlier or later.

Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Children's Hospital.
Last updated May 8, 2007