Surgical Constriction of the Pulmonary Artery

Summary

The classical “banding” of the pulmonary arterial trunk (PAT) is often difficult to remove at the time of definite repair of the cardiac congenital malformation; often its removal alone requires the use of a cardiopulmonary bypass and an angioplasty of the PAT. These difficulties have led the authors to study experimentally, in 16 dogs, the value of a palliative stenosis of the PAT by lateral compression (LC) of the arterial wall. Three types of compressing materials have been used: Teflon band wrapped in pericardium (5 dogs), cuneiform pieces made of either Teflon (5 dogs), or stainless steel (6 dogs). The experiment has led to the following conclusions:

1. The LC of the PAT is able to create a pressure gradient which tends to decrease when the animal is growing.

2. Cuneiform pieces made of Teflon or stainless steel should be used to realize the LC.

3. After the LC has been removed the PAT recovers its normal shape, as attested by absence of a systolic pressure gradient across the PAT.

This technique of LC seems to be an interesting alternative to creating a temporary palliative stenosis of the PAT.

Key words

Banding of the pulmonary artery - Palliative cardiac surgery - Experimental surgery