Background The outcome of the Fontan operation largely depends on patient selection because this procedure is a physiological correction. Among the several selection criteria for the Fontan operation, the importance of adequate size of the pulmonary artery remains controversial. To clarify whether or not pulmonary artery size is indispensable as one of the selection criteria for the Fontan oper...

A new modification of the Fontan operation for complex cardiac anomalies is described. The technique comprises superior vena cava-pulmonary artery anastomosis and inferior vena cava-pulmonary artery bridging via a composite conduit connected to the inferior vena cava via the right atrium, totally excluding the right heart. The procedure was applied to a patient with complex cardiac abnormalitie...

OBJECTIVE There are several modifications introduced in the preparation for a subsequent non-surgical transcatheter completion of the Fontan procedure. We report our experience with one type of the modification and the short-term results following its implementation. METHODS During bidirectional cavopulmonary connection (BCPC) an intra-atrial lateral tunnel is additionally created, as intende...

T he Fontan operation was designed to provide blood flow in series to the pulmonary and systemic circulation without the requirement for a right ventricular pumping chamber. The operation allows systemic venous blood to flow directly into the pulmonary circulation on the basis of a single ventricular impetus through the arteries, capillaries, and systemic venous system. This arrangement has imp...

BACKGROUND The evolutionary process that led to the Fontan-Kreutzer (FK) procedure was determined by the evolution of thought in pediatric cardiology since the pioneer Dr. Rodolfo O. Kreutzer created the cardiology department, with the support of Dr. Alberto Rodríguez Coronel in charge of catherization laboratory and anatomic pathologic department in the hands of Dr. Luis Becú. The first atriop...

The Fontan circulation was one of the “big ideas” in congenital heart disease in the 1970s. This completely novel type of circulation was at first the source of some astonishment but, gradually, understanding of its properties progressed and there is now an expanding cohort of patients followed up with stable Fontan circulations. In 1990, on the basis of an observational study of the survival a...

0 d 1 eceived October 13, 003; revised and ccepted November 14, 003. eprint requests: Glenn D. raunstein, M.D., epartment of Medicine, laza Level, Room 2119, edars-Sinai Medical enter, 8700 Beverly Blvd., os Angeles, CA 90048 FAX: 310-423-0437; Eail: [email protected]). Glenn D. Braunstein, M.D., s a Principal Investigator nd a consultant for tudies conducted by rocter & Gamble harmaceuticals...