Unusual Longevity in Persistent Common Atrioventricular Canal

Abstract

Five of 139 patients with persistent common atrioventricular canal (AVC) confirmed at necropsy had lived to the age of 46 years or older. The complete type of the malformation was present in one, the transitional type in one and the partial type in three. The oldest of the latter group was 79 years of age at the time of death. In a study of ages at death among 139 cases of AVC the following observations were made. Of the 91 patients with the complete type of AVC, 37 percent survived more than one year and 17.6 percent more than five years. Of the 48 patients with the transitional and partial types of the defect, 67 percent lived more than one year and 37.5 percent beyond five years. One of our cases was highly unusual in that AVC was associated with corrected transposition.