Juxtaposition of the Atrial Appendages

Abstract

Six cases of juxtaposition of the atrial appendages are documented by necropsied specimens and analyzed. A high incidence of conotruncal anomalies, especially transposition of the great arteries, further A-V valve abnormalities, and pulmonary valve atresia, is found. The recognition of juxtaposition of the atrial appendages during cardiac catheterization should alert the investigator to the presence of a complex cardiac anomaly. A case with a rare type of right juxtaposition of the atrial appendages and bizarre spatial orientation of the atria, ventricles, and great arteries is presented.