TITLE:
Congenital Heart Diseases Diagnosed on Transthoracic Echocardiography: Perspectives from the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Nigeria
AUTHORS:
Faruk Buba, Mohammed A. Talle, Charles O. Anjorin, Mohammed M. Baba, Bello A. Ibrahim
KEYWORDS:
Congenital Heart Disease, Transthoracic Echocardiography, Nigeria
JOURNAL NAME:
World Journal of Cardiovascular Surgery,
Vol.7 No.4,
April
28,
2017
ABSTRACT: In a retrospective study of 1224 transthoracic
echocardiograms performed between January 2011 and December 2013, we evaluated
the spectrum of congenital heart disease
(CHD) diagnosed at a tertiary referral centre in Maiduguri,
north-eastern Nigeria. Diagnosis of CHD was made in 88 (8.3%) subjects,
comprising 23 (26.1%) adults and 65 (73.9%) aged less than 18 years. Forty six
(52.3%) of those with CHD were females, while 42 (47.7%) were males. The
frequencies of the CHD in decreasing order were: ventricular septal defect 23
(26.1%), tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) 14 (15.9%) and atrial septal defect (ASD) and
atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD) were 11 (12.5%) each. One of the patients
with AVSD had Ellis Van Creveldt syndrome. Six (6.8%) cases of patent ductus
arteriosus (PDA) were diagnosed in those younger than 18 years, while all the 5
(5.7%) cases of Ebstein’s anomaly were diagnosed in adults. There were 6 (6.8%) cases of Eisenmenger syndrome involving three
cases of AVSD, one case of ASD and two cases of Ebstein’s anomaly. Timely
definitive cares for these patients are still lacking in Nigeria and many areas
of sub-Saharan Africa. We recommend sensitization of all relevant clinicians to
actively look for congenital heart defects. Pulse oximetry and postnatal echocardiographic
new-born screening which were previously validated should be implemented at
secondary and tertiary levels, and efforts should be made towards providing the needed care for
patients with CHD.