Pulmonary atresia in prenatal life.

Seven cases of pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum were detected in prenatal life. In two of these cases, there was a small hypertrophied right ventricle of the type commonly seen postnatally. In the remaining five cases, the right atrium and right ventricle were grossly dilated to a degree that caused lung compression. The resulting impairment of lung development appeared to be an important factor contributing to death in all five cases. Decompression of the right ventricle by intrauterine surgery to allow normal lung development in the last weeks of pregnancy may be the only way of changing this outcome.