Radiology, Vol 155, 567-570, Copyright © 1985 by Radiological Society of North America
Congenitally corrected transposition in adults with left atrioventricular valve incompetence
GL Guit, HM Kroon, AE van Voorthuisen, RM Steiner, JG Chin and T Buis-Liem
Congenitally corrected transposition of the great vessels (CCT) is usually
detected in childhood owing to the presence of associated cardiac
malformations. If such malformations are absent, the patient may remain
asymptomatic until adulthood; such persons usually present with left
atrioventricular valve incompetence and conduction disturbances. The chest
radiograph may be the first clue to the diagnosis, demonstrating the
typical cardiovascular silhouette produced by the convex left ascending
aorta. The authors examined seven cases of CCT manifested in adulthood and
found that in four of them the diagnosis was not apparent from the plain
image because the ascending aorta instead followed a concave course.
Hallmarks of this phenomenon are discussed, and two radiological signs are
presented: the double mediastinal stripe and the straight left lower
cardiac border.
