title: Fate of fenestration in children treated with fontan operation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To review the operative history and clinical and catheterization data on patients treated with total cavopulmonary connection (TCPC) with baffle fenestration and to study whether it is possible to predict the fate of fenestration.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  A baffle fenestration may improve postoperative outcomes after Fontan operation but is later associated with cyanosis and thromboembolic risk. Fenestration may close spontaneously or it can be closed percutaneously in patients with favorable hemodynamics.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients were divided into three groups: those with spontaneous closure of fenestration (group S, n = 34) and those with patent fenestration and favorable (group F, n = 36) or unfavorable (group U, n = 20) response to fenestration test occlusion. Clinical records were reviewed for demographic and anatomical characteristics, previous surgeries, and catheterizations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Predominant ventricular morphology was right ventricle (RV)/left ventricle (LV)/undeterminate in 19/14/1 patients in group S, 14/22/0 in group F, and 14/6/0 in group U. No differences were detected between groups in pre-TCPC catheterization data. Type of baffle fenestration was window/tube in 20/14 in group S, 28/8 in group F, and 20/0 in group U. All tube fenestrations either closed spontaneously or could be closed percutaneously. Twenty-nine percent of patients with window-type fenestrations failed the test occlusion.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Spontaneous closure and favorable result in test occlusion are more common in tube than in window fenestrations. Since most preoperative anatomic and hemodynamic factors were similar in all patient groups, we find it difficult to predict the fate of a window-type fenestration and the result of test occlusion. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Children's Hospital, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Jaana I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Pihkala
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Children's Hospital, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Merit
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Järvelä
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Children's Hospital, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Talvikki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Boldt
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Children's Hospital, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Eero
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jokinen
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Children's Hospital, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Ilkka
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Liikanen
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric and Transplantation Surgery, Children's Hospital, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Ilkka
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mattila
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital of Tampere, Tampere, Finland.
authors.forename: Anneli
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Eerola
mesh_terms: D006328:Cardiac Catheterization; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D018729:Fontan Procedure / Q000379:methods* / Q000401:mortality; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D011184:Postoperative Period; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate / Q000639:trends; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: congenital heart disease; diagnostic catheterization; hemodynamics; paediatrics; pediatric intervention; structural heart disease intervention; sugery