Tetralogy of Fallot. The first 300 years.

The chronicle of tetralogy of Fallot is part of a dramatic evolution in cardiology, cardiac surgery, and understanding of the developing heart. Many new tools and concepts have evolved since Steno of Denmark first described the defect in 1673, and since Fallot of Marseilles coined the term tetralogy in 1888. Four major eras of progress can be recognized. The 1st, the era of pathologic anatomy, culminated in the publication of Maude Abbott's Atlas of Congenital Cardiac Disease in 1936. The next, the era of clinicophysiology and surgery, was highlighted by the 1st Blalock-Taussig anastomosis in 1944, by open-heart surgery 10 years later, and by a new team approach to cardiology. The 3rd, or infant era, began in the mid 1970s with successful intracardiac repair in infants, the rise of echocardiography, and the introduction of prostaglandin therapy. The current era of cardiac development (beginning in the 1990s) gives hope for early understanding of the molecular basis of tetralogy. Tribute is due to the surgical and medical pioneers, and to the pioneer patients and their families, for revolutionary changes in diagnosis and treatment. The challenge of the next 100 years lies in increased understanding of the molecular biology of the defect and in preserving the blend of humanism, scholarship, and skill that have graced the advances of the past 3 centuries.