Segmental approach to congenital heart disease

Abstract

The knowledge of cardiac anatomy is a prerequisite to the application of the segmental classification. Atria, ventricles, and vessels present anatomical markers that allow their precise identification. The segmental–sequential classification, that considers the heart as formed by three segments—atria, ventricles, and great arteries, connected at the atrioventricular and ventriculo-arterial junctions, permits an easy classification of complex congenital heart disease, useful for clinicians, surgeons, and pathologists.