Postoperative angiographic assessment of modified Blalock-Taussig shunts using expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (Gore-Tex).
Thirty-six of 87 modified Blalock-Taussig shunts done with expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (Gore-Tex) were restudied angiocardiographically. In 7 patients the study was carried out within 1 month of the shunt operation because the patients failed to make satisfactory clinical progress. Two shunts were occluded and 1 ws stenosed; all 3 were in neonates. The remaining 29 patients were reinvestigated electively between 5 and 29 months postoperatively and had a 97% shunt patency rate. Because of the rather high incidence of irregular or stenosed shunts among neonates with 4 mm conduits, we now prefer to use a larger conduit even in this age group.
D001166:Arteriovenous Shunt, Surgical; D001769:Blood; D001807:Blood Vessel Prosthesis; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011138:Polytetrafluoroethylene; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D011859:Radiography; D013348:Subclavian Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*
D011138:Polytetrafluoroethylene