Surgical treatment of subaortic stenosis after biventricular repair of double-outlet right ventricle

AbstractOut of 180 patients who underwent biventricular repair of double-outlet right ventricle between 1980 and 1995, 9 (5%) required reoperation because of subaortic stenosis. Two other patients who initially underwent operation elsewhere underwent reoperation at our institution because of subaortic stenosis. The median age at biventricular repair was 4 months. Repair consisted of tunnel construction from the left ventricle to the aorta in nine patients; the remaining two patients received an arterial switch operation with ventricular septal defect closure. Subaortic stenosis developed with time: the mean postoperative left ventricle–to–aorta gradient after repair was 10 ± 19 mm Hg (range, 0 to 50 mm Hg) and became 84 ± 27 mm Hg (range, 40 to 124 mm Hg) in a mean delay of 45 ± 66 months (range, 1 to 213 months). At reoperation, the obstruction was caused by the protrusion of the inferior rim of the ventricular septal defect into the left ventricular outflow tract associated with subaortic hypertrophied muscle and membrane. The 11 patients underwent 15 reoperations. Surgical technique consisted of an extended septoplasty in 6 reoperations. In this technique an incision was made in the septal patch and was extended into the muscle toward the apex until a large opening of the left ventricular outflow pathway was obtained. A new patch was then secured to streamline the left ventricular outflow tract. None of the patients who underwent extended septoplasty had to undergo reoperation. There were no early or late deaths. At 115 ± 85 months after biventricular repair, all patients were in New York Heart Association functional class I or II and the mean postoperative left ventricle–to–aorta gradient was 20 ± 24 mm Hg (range, 0 to 60 mm Hg). We conclude that after biventricular repair of double-outlet right ventricle, the subaortic region is at risk for the development of stenosis. Surgical treatment adapted to the anatomy of the obstruction can offer good early and midterm results. It seems that an aggressive approach by an extended septoplasty avoids multiple reoperations. (J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 1996;112:1570-80

Aortic arch reconstruction with pulmonary autograft patch aortoplasty

AbstractObjective: The optimal technique for aortic arch reconstruction through median sternotomy is still under debate. We have introduced the technique of pulmonary autograft patch aortoplasty as a reliable alternative. Methods: The outcomes of 51 infants who underwent neonatal repair of interrupted aortic arch (n = 28) or coarctation associated with ventricular septal defect (n = 23) since 1992 were analyzed. The patients were reviewed in three groups according to the aortic arch reconstruction technique: group I underwent direct anastomosis (n = 23), group II underwent homograft or pericardial patch aortoplasty (n = 8), and group III underwent pulmonary autograft patch aortoplasty (n = 20). The pulmonary autograft patch consisted in the anterior wall of the main pulmonary artery, between the supracommissural level and the divided ductus arteriosus. The created defect was replaced with fresh autologous pericardium. Results: All patients except 1 were discharged without significant residual gradient at the level of the aortic arch. At a median delay of 7 months (range 2-51 months), 11 patients (22%) had recurrence of arch obstruction and underwent balloon angioplasty (n = 8) or surgical correction (n = 3). One patient who had undergone direct anastomosis required reoperation for bronchial compression. At a median follow-up of 29 months, the actuarial freedoms from recurrent arch obstruction were 81% for direct anastomosis, 28% for homograft or pericardial patch aortoplasty, and 100% for pulmonary autograft aortoplasty (P =.03 for group III vs group I and P <.0001 for group III vs group II). Conclusions: The aortic arch repair associated with pulmonary autograft patch augmentation resulted in superior midterm outcomes and therefore constitutes a reliable alternative to the direct anastomosis technique. It allowed complete relief of anatomic afterload and diminished the anastomotic tension, thus reducing the risk of restenosis and tracheobronchial compression. We observed a significantly higher rate of recurrence after patch aortoplasty with other materials.J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2002;123:443-5

Truncus arteriosus repair: Influence of techniques of right ventricular outflow tract reconstruction

AbstractFifty-six consecutive patients underwent total correction of truncus arteriosus. Median age at repair was 41 days, with a range of 2 days to 8 months. In 71% the operation was done in the first 2 months of life. Nine patients had complex forms of truncus and 11 patients had aortic insufficiency. The truncal aortic root was transected, which provides a clear exposure of the coronary ostia. The aorta was reconstructed by direct end-to-end anastomosis, and the truncal valve was preserved in every case. Several different techniques were used for pulmonary reconstruction, including three types of anatomic reconstruction of the pulmonary valve with a trisigmoid leaflet system and two types of nonanatomic reconstruction. The anatomic techniques included use of 33 Dacron valved conduits, eight homograft valved conduits, and one porcine aortic root bioprosthesis. The nonanatomic reconstructions included direct anastomosis to the right ventricle in nine patients and insertion of autologous pericardial valved conduits in five. The hospital mortality was 16% (9/56; 95% confidence limits, 2% to 30%). Multivariate analysis outlines two independent incremental risk factors for hospital death: nonanatomic pulmonary valve reconstruction techniques and age younger than 1 month. The hospital mortality was 7.1% in the group with anatomic pulmonary valve reconstruction versus 43% in the group with nonanatomic pulmonary valve reconstruction (p = 0.015). The hospital mortality was 5.7% in those older than 1 month versus 33% in those younger than 1 month of age (p = 0.04). There were two late deaths. The actuarial freedom from reoperation and angioplasty at 7 years was 100% for patients receiving pericardial conduits, 80% for those undergoing direct anastomosis, 77% for those receiving Dacron conduits, and only 43% for those receiving homografts (p = 0.02). In conclusion, anatomic reconstruction of the pulmonary valve seems important at the time of the operation, age younger than 1 month remains an incremental risk factor, and the truncal valve can be preserved. (J THORAC CARDIOVASC SURG 1996;111:849-56