Summary
Nineteen patients with tricuspid atresia and reduced lung perfusion (valvular- and/or
subvalvular pulmonary stenosis, transposition of the great arteries and/or single
atrium) were operated in the period 1975-1979. The surgical procedures employed varied
according to the additional cardiac defects. The age of the patients was between 2
and 18 years. Eleven children received a conduit with a Hancock valve, 8 children
a valveless conduit. In 9 patients it was possible to connect the conduit to the right
ventricle using the pumping action of the right ventricle with an anatomically intact
pulmonary valve. Six patients died (4 early deaths, 2 late deaths, early mortality
rate 21 %). In this study, the postoperative courses, which were complicated in several
cases, are related to the hemodynamical findings. Thirteen children were examined
between 1 and 38 months following the operation. Cardiac catheterization was performed
in 10 patients. Of the 13, 10 had fully saturated arterial blood. A remnant atrial
defect was demonstrated in one child, and 2 displayed intrapulmonary shunts attendant
to Glenn anastomoses which had been in place for 10 to 12 years. Among the patients
the right atrial pressure ranged from 10 to 20 mmHg with a mean value of 14.5 ± 0.9mmHg.
An increase in size of the right ventricle was demonstrated angiographically in the
case of 2 patients who had valve-bearing conduits to the right ventricle.
Key words
Tricuspid atresia - Conduit with or without biological valve - Corrective procedure
