National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center, a program of the National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences

Tetralogy of Fallot



Other Names:
TOF; Fallot tetralogy
Categories:
This disease is grouped under:

Tetralogy of Fallot is a complex congenital heart defect characterized by a large ventricular septal defect (hole between the right and left ventricles), pulmonary stenosis (narrowing of the valve and artery that connect the heart with the lungs), an overriding aorta (the aorta - the artery that carries oxygen-rich blood to the body - is shifted over the right ventricle and ventricular septal defect, instead of coming out only from the left ventricle), and right ventricular hypertrophy (the muscle of the right ventricle is thicker than usual). Tetralogy of Fallot causes low oxygen levels in the blood, which can lead to cyanosis (a bluish-purple color to the skin). The cause of this condition is unknown. Treatment involves surgery to repair the heart defects. Sometimes more than one surgery is needed.[1][2] 
Last updated: 3/15/2012

This table lists symptoms that people with this disease may have. For most diseases, symptoms will vary from person to person. People with the same disease may not have all the symptoms listed. This information comes from a database called the Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) . The HPO collects information on symptoms that have been described in medical resources. The HPO is updated regularly. Use the HPO ID to access more in-depth information about a symptom.

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Medical Terms Other Names
Learn More:
HPO ID
80%-99% of people have these symptoms
Abnormal nasal morphology
Abnormal of nasal shape
Abnormal of shape of nose
[ more ]
0005105
Brachydactyly
Short fingers or toes
0001156
Broad forehead
Increased width of the forehead
Wide forehead
[ more ]
0000337
Clinodactyly of the 5th finger
Permanent curving of the pinkie finger
0004209
Intrauterine growth retardation
Prenatal growth deficiency
Prenatal growth retardation
[ more ]
0001511
30%-79% of people have these symptoms
Cryptorchidism
Undescended testes
Undescended testis
[ more ]
0000028
Dolichocephaly
Long, narrow head
Tall and narrow skull
[ more ]
0000268
Preauricular pit
Pit in front of the ear
0004467
Proptosis
Bulging eye
Eyeballs bulging out
Prominent eyes
Prominent globes
Protruding eyes
[ more ]
0000520
Tetralogy of Fallot 0001636
Thin vermilion border
Decreased volume of lip
Thin lips
[ more ]
0000233
Underdeveloped supraorbital ridges
Flattened bony protrusion above eyes
0009891
Percent of people who have these symptoms is not available through HPO
Autosomal dominant inheritance 0000006
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Last updated: 7/1/2020

Making a diagnosis for a genetic or rare disease can often be challenging. Healthcare professionals typically look at a person’s medical history, symptoms, physical exam, and laboratory test results in order to make a diagnosis. The following resources provide information relating to diagnosis and testing for this condition. If you have questions about getting a diagnosis, you should contact a healthcare professional.

Testing Resources

  • The Genetic Testing Registry (GTR) provides information about the genetic tests for this condition. The intended audience for the GTR is health care providers and researchers. Patients and consumers with specific questions about a genetic test should contact a health care provider or a genetics professional.

If you need medical advice, you can look for doctors or other healthcare professionals who have experience with this disease. You may find these specialists through advocacy organizations, clinical trials, or articles published in medical journals. You may also want to contact a university or tertiary medical center in your area, because these centers tend to see more complex cases and have the latest technology and treatments.

If you can’t find a specialist in your local area, try contacting national or international specialists. They may be able to refer you to someone they know through conferences or research efforts. Some specialists may be willing to consult with you or your local doctors over the phone or by email if you can't travel to them for care.

You can find more tips in our guide, How to Find a Disease Specialist. We also encourage you to explore the rest of this page to find resources that can help you find specialists.

Healthcare Resources


Related diseases are conditions that have similar signs and symptoms. A health care provider may consider these conditions in the table below when making a diagnosis. Please note that the table may not include all the possible conditions related to this disease.

Conditions with similar signs and symptoms from Orphanet
Differential diagnosis includes primary pulmonary causes of cyanosis, along with other cyanotic heart lesions, such as critical pulmonary stenosis and transposed arterial trunks (see these terms).
Visit the Orphanet disease page for more information.

Research helps us better understand diseases and can lead to advances in diagnosis and treatment. This section provides resources to help you learn about medical research and ways to get involved.

Clinical Research Resources

  • ClinicalTrials.gov lists trials that are related to Tetralogy of Fallot. Click on the link to go to ClinicalTrials.gov to read descriptions of these studies.

    Please note: Studies listed on the ClinicalTrials.gov website are listed for informational purposes only; being listed does not reflect an endorsement by GARD or the NIH. We strongly recommend that you talk with a trusted healthcare provider before choosing to participate in any clinical study.

Patient Registry

  • A registry supports research by collecting of information about patients that share something in common, such as being diagnosed with Tetralogy of Fallot. The type of data collected can vary from registry to registry and is based on the goals and purpose of that registry. Some registries collect contact information while others collect more detailed medical information. Learn more about registries.

    Registries for Tetralogy of Fallot:
    CHD GENES Study
     

These resources provide more information about this condition or associated symptoms. The in-depth resources contain medical and scientific language that may be hard to understand. You may want to review these resources with a medical professional.

Where to Start

  • MedlinePlus was designed by the National Library of Medicine to help you research your health questions, and it provides more information about this topic.
  • The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) has information on this topic. NHLBI is part of the National Institutes of Health and supports research, training, and education for the prevention and treatment of heart, lung, and blood diseases.
  • The National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) has a report for patients and families about this condition. NORD is a patient advocacy organization for individuals with rare diseases and the organizations that serve them.

In-Depth Information

  • Medscape Reference provides information on this topic. You may need to register to view the medical textbook, but registration is free.
  • The Monarch Initiative brings together data about this condition from humans and other species to help physicians and biomedical researchers. Monarch’s tools are designed to make it easier to compare the signs and symptoms (phenotypes) of different diseases and discover common features. This initiative is a collaboration between several academic institutions across the world and is funded by the National Institutes of Health. Visit the website to explore the biology of this condition.
  • Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) is a catalog of human genes and genetic disorders. Each entry has a summary of related medical articles. It is meant for health care professionals and researchers. OMIM is maintained by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. 
  • Orphanet is a European reference portal for information on rare diseases and orphan drugs. Access to this database is free of charge.
  • PubMed is a searchable database of medical literature and lists journal articles that discuss Tetralogy of Fallot. Click on the link to view a sample search on this topic.

Questions sent to GARD may be posted here if the information could be helpful to others. We remove all identifying information when posting a question to protect your privacy. If you do not want your question posted, please let us know.


  1. Schumacher KR. Tetralogy of Fallot. MedlinePlus. 2011; http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001567.htm. Accessed 3/15/2012.
  2. What Is Tetralogy of Fallot?. National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute (NHLBI). 2011; http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/tof/. Accessed 3/15/2012.