Obstruction of the central pulmonary artery after shunt operations in patients with pulmonary atresia.
The central pulmonary artery was studied angiographically 1-10 years after a palliative operation in 56 patients (mean age 6 years, range 1-20) with congenital heart disease and pulmonary atresia. All of them had originally had a central pulmonary artery that was common to both the right and left pulmonary arteries. Juxtaductal obstruction of the left pulmonary artery had developed in 70% of the patients; in 40% the obstruction was atretic unilaterally. Atresia developed at the right junction to the ductus where there was a shunt to the right pulmonary artery and at the left junction where there was a shunt to the left pulmonary artery. Stenosis causing a reduction of more than 50% of the inner diameter developed at the anastomotic site in 10% of 30 patients with a functioning Blalock shunt. In contrast, there was occlusion of the pulmonary artery or its upper branch in 73% of 11 patients with a non-functioning anastomosis.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001157:Arterial Occlusive Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D001807:Blood Vessel Prosthesis; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D011859:Radiography; D013348:Subclavian Artery / Q000601:surgery