Antonio Celona, Elio Caruso, Silvia Farruggio, Lilia Oreto, Maria Cristina Inserra, Maria Teresa Cannizzaro, Tommaso D’Angelo, Silvio Mazziotti, David Angel Ortiz Ruiz, Davide Calvaruso, Christian Booz, Salvatore Agati, Corrado Di Mambro, Giambattista Privitera, Giuseppa Fiumanò, Placido Romeo
- Abnormal venous atrial (VA) connections present a congenital heart disease (CHD) challenge for pediatric cardiologists. Fully anatomical evaluation is very difficult in prenatal and perinatal follow-up, but it has a profound impact on surgical correction and outcome. The echocardiogram is first-line imaging and represents the gold standard tool for simple abnormal VA connection. CT and MRI are mandatory for more complex heart disease and “nightmare cases”. 3D post-processing of volumetric CT and MRI acquisition helps to clarify anatomical relationships and allows for the creation of 3D printing models that can become crucial in customizing surgical strategy.