Ebstein's Anomaly of the Tricuspid Valve Associated With Prenatal Exposure to Lithium Carbonate

Congenital malformations have been previously reported in infants born to women who received lithium carbonate during pregnancy.¹ Although this drug has been used in psychiatric therapy since 1949 and has received attention as a possible human teratogen, evidence relative to its teratogenicity on human fetuses is inconclusive. In 1974, Nora et al reported two cases of Ebstein's anomaly of the tricuspid valve in infants whose mothers had received lithium during pregnancy and suggested that the incidence of this rare cardiac defect is strikingly high among such babies.² The purpose of our report is to describe another patient in support of the contention that lithium is a potent cardiovascular teratogen.

Report of a Case.—A female infant was delivered at term to a 25-year-old primigravida who had taken 1,200 mg of lithium carbonate daily throughout her entire pregnancy for manic-depressive symptoms. The mother denied taking any other medication during