MATERNAL RUBELLA AND PULMONARY ARTERY STENOSES

Abstract

Eleven patients with pulmonary artery stenosis associated with a history of maternal rubella in the early months of the pregnancy are described. Seven were infants whose mothers had contracted rubella at the time of an epidemic in New Zealand in 1959. Eight patients suffered from either deafness or cataracts. All had associated simple cardiovascular anomalies, chiefly pulmonary valve stenosis or patent ductus arteriosus, but in four instances the additional anomalies were mild. The major physical sign permitting clinical diagnosis—transmission of the murmur to the lateral chest wall—is emphasized. It is suggested that rubella may be an important etiologic agent in pulmonary artery stenosis and that specific auscultatory measures should be taken during physical examination of infants born with a history of maternal rubella to establish whether or not this additional arterial anomaly exists. While progressive symptoms during childhood are rare, the late prognosis may be unfavorable.