OBJECTIVETo compare the postoperative outcomes of patients with the diagnostic univentricular heart undergoing lateral tunnel (LT) operation with extracardiac conduit (EC) operation.

METHODSFrom June 1996 to July 2007, 114 consecutive patients with a single ventricle underwent total cavopulmonary connection (TCPC) in Children's Heart Center, University Hospital Giessen and Marburg GmbH, Germany. A LT was performed in 19 (16.7%) patients, and an EC in 95 (83.3%) patients. The mean age of EC group was 50.8 +/- 31.6 (ranging from 22 to 212) months, and that of LT group was 61.5 +/- 41.2 (ranging from 30 to 168) months. Early and midterm outcomes of two groups were analyzed.

RESULTSOne died in LT group (5.3%) and three in EC group (3.2%). The overall mortality was 3.5%. There was no significant difference in mortality between EC and LT groups (P>0.05). The postoperative pulmonary arterial pressure, oxygen saturation, and effusion time of two groups had no significant difference (all P>0.05). No significant difference in the occurrences of complications (arrhythmias, enteropathy, and thrombosis) was found between two groups after operation (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThere seems no difference between LT and EC in the clinical results in the early and middle postoperative stage. Glenn anastomosis followed by an EC seems to have some advantages.

Child ; Heart Bypass, Right ; methods ; Heart Ventricles ; abnormalities ; surgery ; Humans ; Treatment Outcome