Dextro-transposition of the great arteries differential diagnosis

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-In-Chief: Priyamvada Singh, M.B.B.S. [2]; Cafer Zorkun, M.D., Ph.D. [3]; Keri Shafer, M.D. [4]; Assistant Editor(s)-In-Chief: Kristin Feeney, B.S. [5]

Overview

Patients with dextro-transposition of the great arteries should be differentiated from other cardiac and non-cardiac causes of cyanosis-

Differential diagnosis

Cardiac causes (starts with ‘t’)-

Tetralogy of Fallot
Truncus arteriosus
Total anomalous pulmonary venous connection
Other tricuspid valve abnormalities like tricuspid regurgitaton, tricuspid stenosis

Other less common causes are- pulmonary atresia, hypoplastic left heart syndrome, anomalous systemic venous connection. Non-cardiac causes

Pulmonary diseases – Structural abnormalities of the lung, V/P (ventilation-perfusion mismatch), airway obstruction, pneumothorax, and hypoventilation.
Abnormal hemoglobin like methemoglobin, polycythemia
Peripheral cyanosis for e.g. sepsis, hypoglycemia, dehydration, and hypoadrenalism.

References

Overview