Echocardiography in the diagnosis of Shone's complex and analysis of the causes for missed diagnosis and misdiagnosis

BACKGROUND Shone's complex is a rare syndrome characterized by congenital left heart defects that can differ among the patients. AIM To use echocardiography in the diagnosis of Shone's complex and analyze the causes of missed diagnosis and misdiagnosis. METHODS This was a retrospective study of patients who underwent echocardiography and repair surgery from February 14, 2008, to November 22, 2019. The patients were followed once a year at the outpatient clinic after surgery. RESULTS Sixty-six patients were included. The patients were 2.7 (0.8-5.6) years of age, and 54.5% were male. Ten (15.2%) had a history of heart surgery. The most common heart defect was the Annulo-Leaflet mitral ring (ALMR) (50/66, 75.8%), followed by coarctation of the aorta (CoA) (43/66, 65.2%). The patients had a variety of combinations of defects. Only two (3.0%) patients had all four defects. None of the patients had a family history of congenital heart disease. The preoperative echocardiographic findings were examined against the intraoperative findings. Echocardiography missed an ALMR in 31 patients (47.0%), a parachute mitral valve (PMV) in one patient (1.5%), subaortic stenosis in one patient (1.5%), and CoA in two patients (3.0%). CONCLUSION Echocardiography is an effective method to diagnose the Shone's complex. Due to this disease's complexity and interindividual variability, Improving the understanding of the disease can reduce misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis.