Deep Phenotypic Analysis for Transposition of the Great Arteries and Prognosis Implication

Transverse testicular ectopia in a newborn with transposition of the great arteries: A unique case report

INTRODUCTION

Transverse testicular ectopia (TTE) is an extremely rare though well-documented congenital anomaly. In males with a 46XY karyotype, it is characterised by the herniation of both testes and part of the Müllerian organs into a single processus vaginalis. TTE is one of the three main clinical presentations of persistent Müllerian duct syndrome (PMDS). Transposition of the great arteries (TGA) is another rare congenital anomaly and severe cardiac condition. We present the likely first reported case of TTE with an accompanying malformation of TGA in a newborn.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 3-day-old Caucasian 46XY newborn with TGA was referred to the paediatric surgeons and endocrinologists for possible variations of sex characteristics (VSC). Despite a clinical examination revealing phenotypical male genitalia, an early postnatal ultrasound (US) suggestive of a uterine structure raised the suspicion of VSC. This patient had an arterial switch operation at 2 weeks of age before undergoing an exploration of the left groin at 8 weeks of age. Intraoperative findings revealed bilateral testes either side of a rudimentary uterus with fallopian tubes in the left inguinal canal. To avoid de-vascularising any structures, modified bilateral orchidopexy was performed placing each testis in the respective hemiscrotum with the uterus placed across the scrotal septum.

CONCLUSION

We present the first reported case of TGA accompanying TTE. Early and accurate diagnosis, combined with the coordinated care by the specialist paediatric surgeon, cardiothoracic team, endocrinologist, and radiologist are essential for delivering timely, optimal care. This unique case raises the possibility of there being a link between TTE and TGA.

Current treatment outcomes of congenital heart disease and future perspectives

China has the largest number of individuals with congenital heart disease (CHD) in the world and a heavy burden of CHD. Therefore, understanding current CHD treatment outcomes and patterns in China will contribute to global progress in CHD treatment and be a valuable experience. Generally, CHD treatment in China has satisfactory outcomes owing to the joint efforts by all relevant stakeholders across the country. However, efforts are needed to overcome the remaining challenges: management of mitral valve disease and paediatric end-stage heart failure needs to be improved; cohesive paediatric cardiology teams should be established and collaboration between hospitals enhanced; CHD-related medical resources need to be more accessible and equitable; and nationwide CHD databases should be enhanced. In the second paper of this Series, we aim to systematically summarise the current CHD treatment outcomes in China, discuss potential solutions, and provide future perspectives.

Human phenotype ontology annotation and cluster analysis for pulmonary atresia to unravel clinical outcomes

Background

Pulmonary atresia (PA) is a heterogeneous congenital heart defect and ventricular septal defect (VSD) is the most vital factor for the conventional classification of PA patients. The simple dichotomy could not fully describe the cardiac morphologies and pathophysiology in such a complex disease. We utilized the Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) database to explore the phenotypic patterns of PA and the phenotypic influence on prognosis.

Methods

We recruited 786 patients with diagnoses of PA between 2008 and 2016 at Fuwai Hospital. According to cardiovascular phenotypes of patients, we retrieved 52 HPO terms for further analyses. The patients were classified into three clusters based on unsupervised hierarchical clustering. We used Kaplan–Meier curves to estimate survival, the log-rank test to compare survival between clusters, and univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression modeling to investigate potential risk factors.

Results

According to HPO term distribution, we observed significant differences of morphological abnormalities in 3 clusters. We defined cluster 1 as being associated with Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF), VSD, right ventricular hypertrophy (RVH), and aortopulmonary collateral arteries (ACA). ACA was not included in the cluster classification because it was not an HPO term. Cluster 2 was associated with hypoplastic right heart (HRH), atrial septal defect (ASD) and tricuspid disease as the main morphological abnormalities. Cluster 3 presented higher frequency of single ventricle (SV), dextrocardia, and common atrium (CA). The mortality rate in cluster 1 was significantly lower than the rates in cluster 2 and 3 (p = 0.04). Multivariable analysis revealed that abnormal atrioventricular connection (AAC, p = 0.011) and persistent left superior vena cava (LSVC, p = 0.003) were associated with an increased risk of mortality.

Conclusions

Our study reported a large cohort with clinical phenotypic, surgical strategy and long time follow-up. In addition, we provided a precise classification and successfully risk stratification for patients with PA.