title: Survival and reintervention after neonatal repair of truncus arteriosus with valved conduit.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Neonatal primary repair has progressively become the treatment of choice for truncus arteriosus with encouraging survival. However, use of valved conduits to reconstruct the right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) inevitably induces reintervention. This study estimates survival and rate of catheter-interventional and surgical reinterventions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-five consecutive neonates who underwent truncus repair with 27 homografts and 8 Contegras from 1987 to 2007 were studied. Interrupted aortic arch (IAA) was associated in nine patients. Actuarial survival and freedom from reintervention were evaluated according to Kaplan-Meier method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Five patients died early after repair. Two died late and one death was related to reintervention. Survival was 91.9%+/-5.4% from postoperative month 2 onwards when IAA was not associated and 41.7%+/-17.3% from month 4 in IAA presence. During a median follow-up of 68 months (range 1-180 months), 42 reinterventions (of which 17 reoperations) were performed in 21 patients. Rate of reintervention was 2.6 per early survivor per 10 years. RVOT obstruction constituted the main indication: branch pulmonary arteries often being involved (n=25). Uncommon indication was subaortic stenosis (n=3), aortic arch obstruction (n=2) and truncal valve regurgitation (n=2). At year 10, freedom from first, second and third reintervention was 17.9 %+/-8.1%, 46.1%+/-10.6% and 81.9%+/-9.5%, respectively. Sixteen first conduits were explanted. Freedom from first conduit replacement was 87.5%+/-6.8%, 64.1%+/-10.2% and 39.5%+/-10.7% at year 1, 3 and 5, respectively. Homografts enjoyed higher durability than Contegras.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Neonatal repair of truncus arteriosus results in high survival, the only risk being IAA association. The rate of reintervention is heavily influenced by stenosis of branch pulmonary arteries.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Congenital Cardiac Center (Deutsches Kinderherzzentrum), Sankt Augustin, Germany. n.sinzobahamvya@asklepios.com
authors.forename: Nicodème
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sinzobahamvya
authors.forename: Margaretha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boscheinen
authors.forename: Hedwig C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Blaschczok
authors.forename: Rolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kallenberg
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Photiadis
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Haun
authors.forename: Viktor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Hraska
authors.forename: Boulos
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Asfour
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D001021:Aortic Valve / Q000637:transplantation; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007601:Jugular Veins / Q000637:transplantation; D008297:Male; D011664:Pulmonary Valve / Q000637:transplantation; D012086:Reoperation; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014339:Truncus Arteriosus, Persistent / Q000601:surgery*; D014694:Ventricular Outflow Obstruction / Q000601:surgery