• Transposition of the Great Arteries
    • Pulmonary artery seen arising from the left ventricle
  • Transposition of the Great Arteries
    • Pulmonary artery seen arising from the left ventricle
    • Small PDA with left to right shunting seen entering the main pulmonary artery 
      • Narrow red color Doppler jet
  • Transposition of the Great Arteries
    • The aorta is seen arising anteriorly from the right ventricle
  • Transposition of the Great Arteries
    • The aorta is seen arising anteriorly from the right ventricle
    • Normal laminar flow across the aortic valve
  • Transposition of the Great Arteries
    • Subcostal sweep from posterior to anterior
    • The pulmonary artery can be seen arising from the left ventricle
    • Aorta seen arising most anteriorly (at end of sweep) from the right ventricle
  • Transposition of the Great Arteries
    • Subcostal color Doppler sweep from posterior to anterior
    • The pulmonary artery can be seen arising from the left ventricle
    • Aorta seen arising most anteriorly (at end of sweep) from the right ventricle
    • Normal laminar flow observed across both outflow tracts
    • Small PDA with left to right flow noted into the main pulmonary artery (red color Doppler jet)
  • Transposition of the great arteries (D-TGA) with VSD
    •  The aorta is seen arising from the right ventricle with mild override of the ventricular septum
    • Moderate sized doubly committed juxta-arterial VSD
  • Transposition of the Great Arteries
    • The pulmonary artery is seen arising from the left ventricle 
    • The pulmonary artery bifurcates into the branch pulmonary arteries
  • Transposition of the Great Arteries
    • The aorta is seen arising anteriorly from the right ventricle
    • Normal laminar flow across the aortic valve 

The subcostal view is an excellent view to profile the outflow tracts and confirm the diagnosis of transposition of the great arteries. The pulmonary artery can be seen arising more posteriorly from the left ventricle and bifurcating and the aorta can be seen arising more anteriorly from the right ventricle. VSDs can also be demonstrated and profiled from this view. Patients with transposition can often have large VSDs with posterior malalignment of the ventricular septum causing varying degrees of subpulmonary/pulmonary stenosis (left sided ouflow tract).

  • Transducer on abdomen just below xyphoid process
  • Notch at 3 o'clock
  • Transducer tilted slightly anteriorly (tail down)
  • Full sweeps from anterior to posterior to define outflow tract origin and position
  • Transposition of the great arteries
    • origin and location of great vessels
  • VSD
  • Subpulmonary or pulmonary valve stenosis