Diagnosis and surgical approach of congenital Gerbode defect: A case report

Abstract

Introduction: The Gerbode defect is an infrequent cardiac anomaly, with an incidence below 1 % in current worldwide literature. It consists of a communication between the left ventricle and right atrium in the membranous septum with consequential hemodynamical and structural heart changes and can present as either congenital or acquired. The concomitant affectation of the tricuspid valve poses its difficulty as a diagnostic and therapeutical challenge.

Presentation of case: This case report presents a 27-year-old patient with an incidental finding of congenital Gerbode defect with hemodynamical repercussion during surgical treatment for multidisciplinary management in the context of open thoracic trauma.

Discussion: This defect has been infrequently described in the literature, and although several classification methods have been proposed, its diagnosis is challenging and must be considered when faced with nonspecific cardiac systems.

Conclusion: It reports an infrequent congenital heart defect posing as traumatic or postoperative, generating a challenging diagnosis and successful surgical treatment given to the patient using a multidisciplinary approach to further broaden scientific literature on such an underrepresented pathology.

Keywords: Cardiac septal defects; Cardiovascular surgery; Gerbode defect; Interventricular communication; Ventricular cardiac defects.