title: Subclavian arterioplasty for the ipsilateral subclavian-to-pulmonary artery shunt.
abstract: A new technique is described to avoid kinking and improve flow in the ipsilateral subclavian-to-pulmonary artery shunt. Experience with this procedure is reviewed in 35 infants and children with a variety of cyanotic congenital heart disease, including 10 with tricuspid atresia. Of these, 17 had had previous shunts: a Waterston shunt in six, a Glenn shunt in six, and a contralateral Blalock-Taussig shunt in five. The mean age was 5.6 years (range, 1 day to 16 years), and the mean follow-up was 24 months (range, 11 months to 4.5 years). There were no early deaths (less than 30 days), but there were two late deaths. There were three shunt failures at 2 weeks, 1 month, and 10 months; two of the failures were in infants aged 1 day and 4 days at operation. There were no late shunt failures. The patency by the life table method was 91.4% at 6 months, 88.5% at 1 year, with no further drop-off. It is concluded that subclavian arterioplasty can be performed safely and offers improved shunt patency in comparing to the ipsilateral Blalock-Taussig shunt.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000601:surgery*; D006345:Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008722:Methods; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000601:surgery*; D011664:Pulmonary Valve / Q000002:abnormalities; D013348:Subclavian Artery / Q000601:surgery*; D013771:Tetralogy of Fallot / Q000601:surgery; D014188:Transposition of Great Vessels / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery; D014261:Tricuspid Valve / Q000002:abnormalities