Patient's question:
I am very scared when this happens. I often experience lower abdominal pain and don't know how to solve it, so I came here for consultation. Is ventricular septal defect common in fetuses, and how long does the surgery take?Doctor's answer:
Ventricular septal defect refers to an incomplete development of the ventricular septum during embryonic development, forming abnormal communication, resulting in left-to-right shunting at the ventricular level. It can exist as an isolated condition or be part of a complex cardiac malformation. Ventricular septal defect is the most common congenital heart disease. It accounts for approximately 20% of all congenital heart diseases and can exist alone or coexist with other anomalies. The defect size ranges from 0.1 to 3 cm, with membranous defects being larger and muscular defects being smaller, the latter also known as Roger's disease. If the defect is <0.5 cm, the shunt volume is smaller, and clinical symptoms are often absent. In smaller defects, right ventricular enlargement is predominant, while in larger defects, left ventricular enlargement is more pronounced than right ventricular enlargement.