Journal of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery

Cardiac malformations are described using several formats of expression, mainly based on three different backgrounds; that is, either from the aspect of embryological development, via a morphological approach, or by means of clinical classifications. We come across occasionally, or probably better to say often, a circumstance in which people misunderstand or are confused with diagnoses of the heart lesions. Common nomenclature for congenital heart diseases is nearly achieved, but not complete yet. This on-going attempt is also being accompanied by the developing coding system. The coding system might not cover all information the heart team needs to share in really practical settings. As long as the way how to describe heart lesions is not perfectly unified, we have to communicate reasonably well realizing that there are several standpoints for diagnoses of cardiac malformations. Behind each word, there are underlying thoughts we should note. Words are derived from concepts, and, at the same time, promote the concepts.