Atrioventricular Septal Defects (Atrioventricular Canal)

Abstract

Partial atrioventricular (AV) canal is also known as ostium primum atrial septal defect (ASD) with a cleft or zone of apposition of the anterior leaflet of the left AV valve. Most anatomists and surgeons use the term “partial AV canal” for this entity, as it aligns with the other forms of AV canal and the ramifications of its repair are quite different from those of other forms of ASD, owing to the unpredictable outcome of left AV valve repair. More recently, the term “zone of apposition” has been substituted for “cleft” and is used preferentially in the literature, although both descriptions can be found.