Persistent Truncus Arteriosus - Classification

Classification

The most well-known classification was the fourfold system developed by Collett and Edwards in 1949. Collett/Edwards Types I, II, and III are distinguished by the branching pattern of the pulmonary arteries:

• Type I: truncus -> one pulmonary artery -> two lateral pulmonary arteries
• Type II: truncus -> two posterior/posterolateral pulmonary arteries
• Type III: truncus -> two lateral pulmonary arteries

The "Type IV" proposed in 1949 is no longer considered a form of PTA by most modern sources.

Another well-known classification was defined by Van Praaghs in 1965.