• Henriette Poaty, Fanny Pelluard, Gwenaelle André, Brigitte Maugey-Laulom, and Dominique Carles.
• Histology-Embryology and Genetic Laboratory, Faculty of Health Sciences, BP 2672, Marien Ngouabi University, Brazzaville, Congo.
• Afr Health Sci. 2018 Mar 1; 18 (1): 147-156.

BackgroundTruncus arteriosus communis (TAC) is a congenital heart defect in which the physiologic arterial common trunk was not divided into aorta and pulmonary artery trunk.ObjectivesIn this paper, we report on three observed cases from which we looked for (in conjunction with literature review) the different causes of TAC many of which have genetic origins.MethodsWe collected three clinical files of fetuses having a TAC. Two of them were examinated after a medical termination of pregnancy motivated by severe cardiopathy. The malformation had been diagnosed based on different techniques: echocardiography, skeletal radiography, arteriography, fetal autopsy, karyotype and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH).ResultsImaging and fetopathological examination revealed the presence of TAC type 3 and 4 in the Van Praaghs classification. FISH analysis showed a 22q11.2 deletion in one fetus in favour of Digeorge syndrome. The karyotype analysis performed in two cases was normal.ConclusionTruncus arteriosus is a rare pathology caused by numerous etiologies from which many of them have genetic origin. This malformation can be diagnosed early during prenatal period. Postmortem fetopathological examination allows a better diagnosis approach and eventually a genetic counseling in recurrent cases such as case of consanguinity.

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