Aim:

Our aim was to determine the incidence and distribution of congenital heart diseases (CHD) in newborns with gastrointestinal system malformations (GISM).

Materials and Methods:

The medical files of 32 successive newborns who were operated in the surgical intensive care unit of our hospital because of GISM, and had undergone cardiologic examinations were retrospectively reviewed, and the incidence of CHD in newborns with GISM was investigated.

Results:

A total of 32 patients with GISMs whose ages ranged between 1 and 35 days (median, 5.29 days) were evaluated. Our study population consisted of 15 (46%) male, and 17 (54%) female infants. Esophageal atresia/tracheoesophageal fistula was the most frequently seen GISM (n=13; 40.6%). One of these cases had anal atresia. Anal atresia was the second most frequently seen anomaly (n=7; 21.9%), followed by diaphragmatic hernia (n=6; 18.8%). These were followed by omphalocele (n=2), and pyloric stenosis, jejunal atresia, duodenal atresia, and Hirshsprung’s disease (for all, n=1). In 20 (20/32; 62.5%) patients CHD was observed. Eleven male (55%), and 9 (45 %) female patients had CHD. These patients were diagnosed with ASD (n=8), VSD (n=6) and Tetrology of Fallot (n=2), AVSD (n=1), PS (n=1), Bicuspid Aorta (n=1), Aortic insufficiency with MVP (n=1). Remaining patients had patent foramen ovale (PFO; n=9), patent ductus arteriosus (PDA; n=1), while 2 cases had normal echocardiographic findings.

Conclusion:

CHDs are more frequently and significantly encountered in newborns with GISM. Since these patients require early surgical intervention, even if no abnormality is found during physical examination, they should be evaluated by means of echocardiographic examinations for the presence of CHD. To determine the prevalence of CHD in Turkish population with GISM, larger scale patient series should be screened.

Keywords: Gastrointestinal system malformation, congenital heart diseases, echocardiography, newborn