Symptoms of Truncus Arteriosus
Babies with truncus arteriosus may have these symptoms:
- Bluish skin, lips and nailbeds (cyanosis)
- Fast breathing
- Working hard to breathe
- Trouble feeding
- Delayed growth or failure to thrive
- Getting more tired than normal
- Thicker, broader finger tips (clubbing)
They may also develop symptoms of heart failure.
Truncus Arteriosus Diagnosis
To diagnose this condition, your doctor will examine your child and use a stethoscope to listen to their heart. In children with this condition, doctors can often hear a heart murmur — the sound of blood moving in the heart in a way that’s not normal.
The doctor will ask for details about any symptoms your child has, their health history and your family health history.
Your child will need tests that provide more information about how their heart and nearby blood vessels look and work. These may include electrocardiogram, chest X-rays or MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) of the heart, echocardiography and cardiac catheterization.