Interruption of the aortic arch with aorticopulmonary septal defect. An anatomic review.

Interruption of the aortic arch may occur with aorticopulmonary septal defect (APSD) as part of a developmental complex. The anatomic details of 46 cases of interruption of the aortic arch with APSD revealed the following characteristics: (1) type A interruption of the aortic arch occurred nearly six times more commonly than type B interruption; (2) the APSD was variable in size and position, conforming to the types previously described; (3) the ventricular septum was usually intact, but a ventricular septal defect was present in six cases and occurred more frequently with type B interruption of the aortic arch; (4) subaortic stenosis was not present in any of the 16 cases in which adequate details were available to make a judgment. The association of APSD with interruption of the aortic arch in infancy is not uncommon. Evaluation of infants with APSD should thus include evaluation of the aortic arch. The occurrence of interruption of the aortic arch with an intact ventricular septum is distinctly unusual. In such cases an APSD should be suspected and sought.