Congenital Heart Surgery Nomenclature and Database Project: transposition of the great arteries.

The extant nomenclature for transposition of the great arteries (TGA) is reviewed for the purposes of establishing a unified reporting system. The subject was debated and reviewed by members of the STS-Congenital Heart Surgery Database Committee and representatives from the European Association for Cardiothoracic Surgery. All efforts were made to include relevant nomenclature categories including synonyms where appropriate. The general categories of TGA are: TGA with intact ventricular septum, TGA with ventricular septal defect (VSD) and TGA with VSD and left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (LVOTO). A comprehensive database set is presented which is based on a hierarchical scheme. Data are entered at various levels of complexity and detail that can be determined by the clinician. A detailed hierarchical system is described herein for classification of the coronary artery anatomy associated with TGA. These data can lay the foundation for comprehensive risk stratification analyses. A minimum database set is also presented which will allow for data sharing and would lend itself to basic interpretation of trends.