Transposition of the Great Vessels

Transposition is a condition in which the aorta arises from the right ventricle and the pulmonary trunk from the left. This anomally is due to the failure of the truncoconal swellings to grow in the normal spiral direction. There is also a ventricular septal defect and a patent ductus arteriosus. However, these secondary defects make life possible as they provide a way for oxygenated blood to reach the entire body.

Figure

• AO = Aorta
• PT = Pulmonary trunk
• PDA = Persistent Dunctus Arteriosus
• RV/LV = right and left ventricles