title: Ventricular arrhythmia and tetralogy of Fallot repair with transannular patch.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Life-threatening arrhythmias and sudden death remain to be serious late complications after correction of tetralogy of Fallot. The aim of this study was to detect ventricular arrhythmia incidence and to find out the relationship between ventricular arrhythmia and the transannular and infundibular patch repair techniques to correct tetralogy of Fallot. That is still unpredictable exactly.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-nine patients with mean age of 12.1+/-3.1 years were studied prospectively for 7.1+/-2.1 years after operation. They were all investigated with electrocardiography, echocardiography, treadmill and Holter monitorization. Right ventricular functions, exercise capacity and arrhythmia patterns were assessed. Lown criteria were used for grading the arrhythmia patterns. QRS duration, QT dispersion and QT dispersion indexes were calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Follow up time was 5 to 13 years in both groups. All QT dispersion times and indexes were within normal ranges and there were no differences between two groups. Holter and treadmill studies did not reveal during any ventricular arrhythmia risk in the study and control groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Seven years of follow-up after correction of tetralogy of Fallot revealed that transannular patch reconstruction is not a cause of tendency for ventricular arrhythmia according to Lown criteria, QT dispersion, QT dispersion indexes and QRS duration do support the results of previous studies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Başkent University, 06490 Bahçelievler, Ankara Hospital, Ankara, Turkey. sozkan11@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Süleyman
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ozkan
authors.forename: Tankut
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Akay
authors.forename: Bahadir
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gültekin
authors.forename: Birgül
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Varan
authors.forename: Kurşat
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tokel
authors.forename: Sait
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aşlamaci
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004452:Echocardiography; D004562:Electrocardiography; D015716:Electrocardiography, Ambulatory; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013771:Tetralogy of Fallot / Q000601:surgery*; D013997:Time Factors; D018497:Ventricular Dysfunction, Right / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D016278:Ventricular Function, Right / Q000502:physiology*