title: Total cavopulmonary anastomosis in patients less than three years of age.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  As young age at modified Fontan operation was thought to be a preoperative risk factor for poorer survival, we studied early and intermediate outcome in our young patient group.
  
  
  METHODS
  Results in children less than 3 years of age (group I; n = 26; age range, 7 to 35 months) were compared with those in older patients (group II; n = 46; age range, 36 to 219 months). For both groups there was no significant difference with regard to preoperative pathology and hemodynamics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  With an overall mortality of 9.7% (7/72) there was no significant difference for both groups. Group I (n = 23) and group II (n = 42) survivors did not differ with respect to early postoperative incidence of atrial dysrhythmias, duration and volume of pleural effusion, or incidence of reoperation. Results on intermediate follow-up (group I, 31 +/- 14 months; group II, 44 +/- 20 months) demonstrated a relatively low incidence of late atrial dysrhythmias (12.3%; 8/65). Late atrioventricular valve insufficiency was significantly more frequent in group I patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  With similar preoperative anatomic and hemodynamic parameters including 68% of patients with complex univentricular heart, total cavopulmonary anastomosis could be performed in patients less than 3 years of age with good clinical and hemodynamic results, as achieved in older patients.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Children's Hospital, Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kaulitz
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ziemer
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Luhmer
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Paul
authors.forename: H C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Kallfelz
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D018729:Fontan Procedure / Q000379:methods; D018610:Heart Bypass, Right / Q000379:methods* / Q000401:mortality; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D009017:Morbidity; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome