Double outlet right ventricle (DORV) is a rare congenital heart defect where the pulmonary artery and aorta both originate from the right ventricle. In a normal heart, the pulmonary artery arises from the right ventricle and the aorta stems from the left ventricle; this allows blood to be oxygenated in the lungs and then pumped by the left ventricle through the aorta to the rest of the body. For DORVs only partially oxygenated blood is circulated to the body resulting in a myriad of symptoms.
Additionally, DORVs are usually accompanied by other defects including a ventricular septal defect (VSD), pulmonary valve stenosis (PVS) or aortic coarctation. The severity of the DORV and the urgency for operation will highly depend on these additional deficiencies. Thankfully, there are surgical options to repair a DORV and offer the patient longevity and an improved quality of life.
What we offer through our surgical planning of the DORV is an improved preparation for the surgeon. All DORV cases are unique, and we believe the surgeon should see the inside of the heart and have a surgical plan in mind before the first incision is made. Therefore, our DORV surgical planning includes: anatomical reconstruction of the DORV, virtual positioning of the surgical patch, calculation of the resulting ventricular volumes, 2D image of the Patch Geometry including positioning landmarks and diameter, and a 3D printed full-scale model of the patient specific ventricles.
