Loyola University Medical Education Network Persistent Truncus Arteriosus

A persistent truncus arteriosus results when the truncoconal swellings fail to grow. The single artery, the truncus arteriosus, arises from both ventricles above the ventricular septal defect, allowing pulmonary and systemic blood to mix. Distally, the single artery is divided into the aorta and pulmonary trunk by an incomplete septum.

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John A. McNulty
Last Updated: April 14, 1996
Created: September 25, 1995