Evaluation of Operated Dextro-Transposition of Great Arteries Patients in Follow-Up: Comparison of Transthoracic Echocardiography and Cardiac CT Angiography
<b>Background:</b> Arterial switch operation (ASO) is the standard surgical treatment for dextro-transposition of great arteries (d-TGA). Long-term complications affecting pulmonary arteries, coronary arteries, and aortic root necessitate detailed surveillance, but the optimal imaging strategy remains undefined. <b>Methods:</b> We retrospectively analyzed 47 patients with d-TGA who underwent ASO between January 2023 and June 2025 with at least six months postoperative follow-up. All patients underwent both transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and ECG-gated cardiac CT angiography (CTA). Anatomical measurements, functional parameters, and diagnostic completeness were compared between modalities. <b>Results:</b> Median age at follow-up was 37.2 months. CT detected pulmonary artery stenosis in 31 patients (65.9%) and aortic root dilatation in 31 patients (65.9%). TTE provided incomplete pulmonary artery assessment in 11 patients (23.4%) and incomplete coronary evaluation in 13 patients (27.6%), while CT successfully evaluated all patients (100%). Strong correlation was found between left pulmonary artery bending angle and aortic root dimensions (r = 0.65, <i>p</i> = 0.016), suggesting mechanical interdependence of post-surgical anatomical changes. Median radiation exposure was 2.684 mSv (IQR: 1.5-4.6). During follow-up, 10 patients (21.3%) required cardiovascular interventions, with CT providing complete pre-intervention assessment in all cases. <b>Conclusions:</b> TTE alone is insufficient for complete anatomical assessment following ASO. An integrated imaging approach utilizing TTE for functional assessment and CT for anatomical evaluation optimizes post-ASO surveillance.
Authors
- İsa Özyılmaz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1177-0604)
- Hatice Dilek Özcanoğlu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8091-9997)
- Ali Nazım Güzelbağ (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3314-9090)
- Behzat Tüzün
- Erkut Öztürk (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1762-3269)
- Osman Nuri Bayrak
- Ali Can Hatemi
- Serap Baş (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3607-0620)
- Demet Kangel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-5360-7044)
Institutions
- Sağlık Bilimleri Üniversitesi (TR)
- İstanbul Başakşehir Çam ve Sakura Şehir Hastanesi
Publication Details
- Journal
- Diagnostics
- Published
- 2025-09-23
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics15192419
- Primary Topic
- Congenital Heart Disease Studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00