As a Foundation working for children whose lives are on the lines due to Congenital Heart Defects (CHD) it is important for us to understand the various types of CHD that can and have affected the little ones under our care. Regardless of how complicated the technicalities may be, it is important to especially understand the complex types such as Ebstein’s Anomaly.

The first case of Ebstein’s Anomaly was reported in the year of 1866, when a 19-year old labourer died of cyanotic heart disease. By the year 1950, there were only three cases of this anomaly that had been reported.

This particular type of heart ailment now accounts for almost 1% of all Congenital Heart Defects.

Normally the Tricuspid Valve (TV) has three leaflets: anterior, inferior (posterior) and septal. The leaflets equally from the endocardial cushion tissues and the myocardium. The leaflets and the tensile apparatus of the AV valves are formed by a process of delamination of the inner layers of the inlet zone of the ventricles. In Ebstein’s delamination of the TV leaflets fail to occur – but the mechanism is not understood.