• F Lacour-Gayet, C Haun, K Ntalakoura, E Belli, L Houyel, P Marcsek, F Wagner, and J Weil.
• Department of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery, Eppendorf University Hospital (UKE), Martinistrasse 52, D-20246 Hamburg, Germany. flg@uke.uni-hamburg.de
• Eur J Cardiothorac Surg. 2002 Jun 1; 21 (6): 1042-8.

ObjectivesBiventricular repair of double outlet right ventricle non-committed ventricular septal defect (DORVncVSD) is usually achieved by a VSD rerouting to the aorta. This technique can be limited by the presence of tricuspid chordae and by the pulmonary artery to tricuspid valve distance. Furthermore, there is an important risk of late subaortic obstruction related to the long patch required that creates a potential akinetic septal area. Presented here is another technique; by VSD rerouting to the pulmonary infundibulum and arterial switch.MethodsTen patients, with DORVncVSD, underwent a VSD rerouting to the pulmonary infundibulum followed by arterial switch. Seven had a previous pulmonary artery banding and one a moderate infundibular stenosis. The median age at surgery was 16 months (range 3 weeks to 4.5 years). All patients had a bilateral infundibulum, with a large persistent subaortic conus, D malposition of the aorta, side-by-side vessels and double loop coronary patterns. The VSD was perimembranous with inlet or trabecular extension. Subaortic obstruction was constant. The VSD was severely distant from both the aortic and the pulmonary annulus. The operation was conducted through a combined approach. The VSD was constantly enlarged superiorly. The almost permanent subaortic obstruction was released. The VSD was always found quite close to the pulmonary infundibular ostium. The arterial switch technique was adapted to the complex coronary anatomy.ResultsThere was one non-cardiac death. At a mean follow-up of 20 months, all nine survivors are in NYHA class I, in sinus rhythm, and have no subaortic gradient greater than 15 mm.ConclusionThis technique of VSD rerouting to the pulmonary artery and arterial switch limits greatly the size of the rerouting patch, respects the tricuspid chordae and is independent of the pulmonary artery-tricuspid valve distance. In this early series of biventricular repair of DORVncVSD, the VSDs were always found close to the pulmonary artery, allowing this new type of repair.

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