Treatment of Tricuspid Atresia with Small Pulmonary Flow (Type Ib) by Surgical Enlargement of the Ventricular Septum Defect

Summary

We recently treated 7 patients with tricuspid atresia type Ib, and one patient with type IIIb by enlargement of the ventricular septum defect (VSD), combined with pulmonary valvotomy or infundibular resection in 3 cases. The result was good or excellent in the 7 cases with type Ib, while the patient with type Illb, suffering from associated cardiovascular malformations and operated upon in a very poor hemodynamic state, died during operation. The procedure is simple and represents no particular risks if one avoids excessive enlargement of the VSD and does not resect in the area of the cardiac conduction system. Review of the literature leads us to believe that this operation should have a place among the different forms of surgical treatment for tricuspid atresia.

Key words

Tricuspid atresia - Small pulmonary flow (type Ib) - Ventricular septum defect