Correlation of Chest Roentgenograms and Hemodynamic Findings Following Surgical Repair of Ventricular Septal Defects

The diagnosis and hemodynamic evaluation of ventricular septal defect are made at cardiac catheterization. The present-day value of the plain chest roentgenogram, then, is in following the evolution of the defect, and it has proved especially useful in detecting Eisenmenger's reaction and its associated pulmonary hypertension. Little emphasis, however, has been placed on the changes seen following surgical closure of the defect. This study was undertaken to determine the roentgen changes in the chest following successful closure of the ventricular septal defects and the rate at which such changes evolve. Materials and Methods The chest films and catheterization data of all patients operated upon for the repair of uncomplicated ventricular septal defects from January 1959 to December 1965 and in whom preoperative and postoperative cardiac catheterizations were performed were analyzed independently. Patients with residual postoperative shunts were included in the original analysis, and the person evaluating...