Taussig-Bing anomaly: from original description to the current era

Abstract

Taussig-Bing anomaly is a rare congenital heart malformation that was first described in 1949 by Helen B. Taussig (1898-1986) and Richard J. Bing (1909-). Although substantial improvement has since been achieved in surgical results of the repair of the anomaly, management of the Taussig-Bing anomaly remains challenging. A history of the original description of the anomaly, the life stories of the individuals who first described it, and the current outcomes of its surgical management are reviewed herein.

Keywords: Bing RJ; Taussig HB; cardiac surgical procedures/history/methods; cardiology/history; coronary vessel anomalies/surgery; double-outlet right ventricle/complications/surgery; heart catheterization/history; heart defects, congenital/history/surgery; heart ventricles/abnormalities/surgery; history of medicine, 20th century; pediatrics/history.

Fig. 1. Original drawing of the heart shows the size and position of the aorta and pulmonary artery and their relation to the septal defect. Reprinted from Taussig HB, Bing RJ. Complete transposition of the aorta and a levoposition of the pulmonary artery. Am Heart J 1949;37(4):551–9, with permission from Elsevier.

Fig. 2. Helen Brooke Taussig (1898–1986). Courtesy of Andrew N. Redington, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.

Fig. 3. Richard John Bing (1909–). Courtesy of Richard J. Bing.