Fontan operation: a technique in evolution.

Objectives: Recent experimental flow studies based on angiography and magnetic resonance have shown that total cavopulmonary anastomosis (TCPA) is a valid concept for surgical treatment of many congenital heart defects, but there is not agreement of the best surgical arrangement. The aim of this study is to assess the immediate results with three different techniques of TCPA. Methods: Clinical study of all TCPA performed from January 2005 to July 2008; there were 40 patients, all with previous Glenn anastomosis, with mean age of 6.4 ± 3.2 years. Three different techniques were employed: Group 1 (G1) lateral tunnel, Group 2 (G2) extracardiac conduits, Group 3 (G3) intracardiac conduit directed to the left pulmonary branch. All patients had a fenestration performed and pre- and postoperative variables were assessed. Results: G1 had 11 patients, G2 10 patients and G3 19 patients. Preoperative variables were similar in the 3 groups (P>0.05). Surgical mortality was higher in Groups 1 and 2 (9.1% and 10%) compared to Group 3 (0%) but there was no statistical significance (P=0.3841). Pleural effusion was absent in Group 3 (0%), which was statistically significant in relation to the other groups (P=0.0128). The length of hospital stay was also significantly lower in G3 (8 days) in relation to G1 (18 days) and G2 (13 days) (P=0.0164). Conclusion: Intracardiac TCPA was associated with lower postoperative morbidity and is currently our preferred technique on total cavopulmonary anastomosis.