Two-dimensional and Doppler echocardiographic follow-up after the arterial switch operation for transposition of the great arteries.
An echocardiographic follow-up examination was performed in 20 children who underwent an arterial switch operation from November 1984 to October 1990. The age at the time of operation ranged from 1 to 54 days, the weight ranged from 2.5 to 4.5 kg body weight. The time interval from the day of operation and the examination ranged from 3 to 74 months. M-mode echocardiography showed hypokinetic left ventricular function in 6 patients (30%). Abnormal segmental left ventricular wall motions were found in 6/16 patients (37.5%). Doppler echocardiographic examination at the site of the pulmonary anastomosis revealed an instantaneous gradient less than 20 mmHg in 9 patients (45%), a gradient between 20 and 60 mmHg in 9 patients (45) and a gradient greater than 60 mmHg in two patients (10%). The location of the stenosis was just below the bifurcation in 17 patients (85%) and seemed to be related to stretching of the pulmonary trunk during the Lecompte maneuver. One patient (5%) had a supravalvular aortic stenosis with a gradient of 43 mmHg. Color-flow mapping revealed mild aortic regurgitation in 8 patients (40%) but moderate regurgitation in one patient (5%). Three patients (15%) showed mild mitral regurgitation, all of them also had hypokinetic left ventricular function.
Salzer-Muhar
U
U
Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Children's University Hospital, Vienna, Austria.
Proll
E
E
Marx
M
M
Salzer
H R
HR
Wimmer
M
M
D002675:Child, Preschool; D004452:Echocardiography; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology; D013997:Time Factors; D014188:Transposition of Great Vessels / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery*