50. Ventricular septal defect (Roger’s disease)

Organ: Heart

Description:

There is a large hole in the interventricular septum. The holes are covered by membrane, making it look like there are multiple holes.

Diagnosis: Ventricular septal defect (Roger’s disease)

Causes:

Unknown

Theory:

Roger’s disease is the name of a small, asymptomatic ventricular septal defect (VSD). Recall from embryology that the interventricular septum has two parts, the membranous part, which is superior, and the muscular part, which is inferior, and these two parts then grow together. 90% of VSDs are membranous, only 10% are muscular.

Any patient with VSD can develop Eisenmenger syndrome if large enough.

Roger was a French guy, so the name of this disease isn’t pronounced like American Roger, but French Roger.