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FOREWORD
The purpose of this volume is to present in brief and handy form the most common features of the congenital cardiac defects in infancy and adulthood.
There has been no attempt to make this an exhaustive analysis of the complexity of this fascinating chapter of cardiology, but all to the contrary there has been the purpose to underline the most distinctive features of each congenital defect in the most concise way possible.
Congenital heart defects are as a rule a life-long problem and a brief reference may eventually be of help to the cardiologist, pediatrician, internist, medical resident and medical students for a rapid understanding of these disorders.
The age range of patients with congenital cardiac anomalies is otherwise steadily increasing because of the great advance of cardiac surgery of the last few years, and a larger number of these patients are expected to need the services of the adult cardiologist and internist in the years to come.
In every major congenital, a comprehensive analysis of the problem is attempted. Starting with a summarized anatomical description of the disease, one or more diagrams are given. The morphological study is followed by a brief description of the pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, natural history, physical signs, electrocardiography, roentgenograms, echocardiography, catheterization and angiographic data typical of each disease.
A list of the most important bibliography used as reference for this work is offered at the end of the book. This list includes probably some of the most pertinent and classic sources from which much information was assembled.
Finally, it is hoped that this book will serve as a rapid reference for the one not deeply involved in the everyday management of the congenital heart malformations, and will assist the understanding of these disorders in patients of all age groups.
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