The correct spelling of the congenital heart defect "Fallot Trilogy" is [faˈlo trɪˈɡlɔːdi]. The word "Fallot" is pronounced with stress on the first syllable, followed by a vowel sound that rhymes with "ball." The "o" in "Trilogy" is pronounced with an "oh" sound, followed by a stressed "i" sound that rhymes with "fly." This complex condition affects the heart's structure and can cause symptoms such as shortness of breath, cyanosis (bluish skin), and poor growth. It is often treated with surgery.
Fallot Trilogy, also known as Tetralogy of Fallot, is a congenital heart disorder characterized by a combination of four specific heart defects present at birth. Named after its discoverer, Étienne-Louis Arthur Fallot, this condition is often abbreviated as TOF.
The first defect in the Fallot Trilogy is ventricular septal defect (VSD), which refers to a hole in the wall (septum) separating the two lower chambers (ventricles) of the heart. This communication allows oxygenated and deoxygenated blood to mix, resulting in oxygen-poor blood being circulated to the rest of the body.
The second defect is pulmonary stenosis, which involves the narrowing or blockage of the pulmonary valve or artery that connects the heart to the lungs. This restriction impedes blood flow from the heart to the lungs, leading to decreased oxygenation.
Hypertrophy of the right ventricle constitutes the third anomaly in the Fallot Trilogy. Due to the increased workload caused by oxygen-poor blood, the right ventricle thickens and enlarges.
The final feature of the Fallot Trilogy is the overriding aorta. In this defect, the aorta, the main artery of the body, is positioned directly above the VSD, straddling both ventricles instead of originating solely from the left ventricle.
In most cases, the Fallot Trilogy is diagnosed shortly after birth or during early childhood, as it often presents with symptoms like bluish skin (cyanosis), rapid breathing, poor weight gain, and fatigue. The condition can be managed with medications, but surgical interventions, such as open-heart surgery or cardiac catheterization, are usually required to correct the heart defects and improve blood flow. With timely and appropriate
The word "Fallot Trilogy" is derived from the name of a French physician named Étienne-Louis Arthur Fallot, who first described a particular congenital heart defect in 1888. Fallot's research identified a set of cardiac anomalies that involve four main defects: pulmonary stenosis (narrowing of the pulmonary artery), ventricular septal defect (a hole in the wall separating the heart's ventricles), overriding aorta (the aorta is displaced, causing it to receive blood from both ventricles), and right ventricular hypertrophy (thickening of the right ventricular wall). Collectively, these defects are known as the Fallot Trilogy, named after Dr. Arthur Fallot.