Association of atrioventricular valve atresia with single ventricle, truncus arteriosus communis and transposition. A basic reorientation in the approach to the definition of congenital heart defects.

A heart specimen is presented which showed a rare combination of atrioventricular valve atresia with single ventricle, truncus arteriosus communis with an anteriorly placed trunk, ie transposition. Because of the problems involved in the classification of this heart, the types of single ventricle are revised with particular attention to the rare cases of atrioventricular valve atresia and single ventricle reported in the literature. Also the rare type of truncus arteriosus communis with truncoatrioventricular valve discontinuity is excluded from the so-called transposition complexes, and properly classified as a form of truncus. The literal meaning of transposition is stressed and it is urged to approach congenital heart defects in a purely anatomic sense with definition of each segment as accurately as possible. Thus the present confusion in terminology and further plethora of new terms are avoided.