What is a ventricular septal defect (VSD)?

What is a ventricular septal defect (VSD)?

• A. An area of scar tissue in the left ventricle of the heart
• B. Failure of the aorta to develop, causing a blockage of blood flow between the ventricles
• C. Right ventricular hypertrophy
• D. An abnormal opening between the two ventricles of the heart

Answer: (D)

A ventricular septal defect is an abnormal opening in the interventricular septum, the wall that separates the left and right ventricles. This defect creates a direct passage for blood to move from the higher-pressure left ventricle to the right ventricle during systole, leading to a left-to-right shunt. Small defects may cause few symptoms, while larger ones increase pulmonary blood flow and can lead to heart failure in infancy, sometimes requiring surgery. The other options describe different heart issues: scar tissue in the left ventricle isn’t a septal opening; a failure of the aorta to develop with a blockage between the ventricles points to a different congenital lesion affecting the outflow tract; and right ventricular hypertrophy is thickening of the right ventricle, not a defect that connects the ventricles.

A ventricular septal defect is an abnormal opening in the interventricular septum, the wall that separates the left and right ventricles. This defect creates a direct passage for blood to move from the higher-pressure left ventricle to the right ventricle during systole, leading to a left-to-right shunt. Small defects may cause few symptoms, while larger ones increase pulmonary blood flow and can lead to heart failure in infancy, sometimes requiring surgery.

The other options describe different heart issues: scar tissue in the left ventricle isn’t a septal opening; a failure of the aorta to develop with a blockage between the ventricles points to a different congenital lesion affecting the outflow tract; and right ventricular hypertrophy is thickening of the right ventricle, not a defect that connects the ventricles.