Valved homograft conduit repair of the right heart in early infancy.
BACKGROUND
Valved homograft conduit repair in neonates and young infants creates a physiologically normal biventricular circulation, and unlike shunts, avoids surgery on the branch pulmonary.


METHODS
Retrospective chart review was used for 84 patients operated on between 1990 and 1995 (mean age 26+/-28 days, mean weight 3.3+/-0.8 kg) undergoing homograft conduit repair in the first 3 months of life. Cases were divided into simple and complex, eg, absent pulmonary valve syndrome or associated interrupted arch. Mean homograft size was 9.0+/-2 mm.


RESULTS
Early mortality was 4.7% (simple) and 30% (complex). Mean hospital stay was 18 days. Mean follow-up was 34 months. Thirty-seven (47%) patients underwent conduit replacement. Median time to reoperation was 3.1 years. Mean size of replacement homograft was 17+/-2 mm. There were no deaths at reoperation. Mean hospital stay at conduit change was 6.3 days. Probability of survival at 5 years is 75%.


CONCLUSIONS
Biventricular repair employing a conduit can be performed safely in noncomplex anomalies in the first 3 months of life. Time interval until repeat surgery is relatively short but equal or greater than that with most palliative procedures.
Perron
J
J
Department of Cardiology, Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
Moran
A M
AM
Gauvreau
K
K
del Nido
P J
PJ
Mayer
J E
JE
Jonas
R A
RA
D001705:Bioprosthesis; D001807:Blood Vessel Prosthesis; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000601:surgery*; D006350:Heart Valve Prosthesis; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000601:surgery; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000601:surgery*; D018633:Pulmonary Atresia / Q000601:surgery; D011664:Pulmonary Valve / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000637:transplantation; D012086:Reoperation; D013771:Tetralogy of Fallot / Q000601:surgery; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous; D014339:Truncus Arteriosus, Persistent / Q000601:surgery