The role of exercise testing in congenital heart disease patients after coronary artery reimplantation

Abstract Introduction The Ross procedure requires like the arterial switch operation (ASO) coronary artery reimplantation. There is no information on coronary artery stenosis at the site of the reimplantation in Ross patients as has been described for ASO patients. This study assessed therefore the prevalence of positive exercise tests (pETs) suggesting myocardial ischemia in Ross and ASO patients in comparison to tetralogy of Fallot patients (TOF), the latter not undergoing coronary artery reimplantation. The study evaluated further, whether a coronary artery complication was confirmed by a supplementary non- and/or invasive evaluation. Methods Results of exercise tests, echocardiography, coronary computed tomography (CCT) and coronary angiography (CA) were retrospectively reviewed in 30 Ross, 14 ASO and 30 TOF patients. Results Exercise capacity did not differ between groups. There was a trend to more frequent pETs in Ross patients (Ross vs. ASO vs. TOF, N, %): 8 (27) vs. 1 (7) vs. 2 (7) p = 0.062. CCT was performed in 30% Ross, 21% ASO, 3% TOF (p = 0.023); CA in 20% Ross, 21% ASO and 13% TOF patients (p = 0.727). None of these investigations revealed a coronary artery stenosis. Patients with pET showed a higher right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) gradient (44 ± 30 vs. 22 ± 13 mmHg, p = 0.004) and more frequently a severe RVOT stenosis (27 vs. 0%, p  Conclusions pETs are rather related to RVOT stenosis than to coronary artery complications after Ross procedure, ASO and TOF repair. The role of exercise testing for detection of myocardial ischemia is limited and should be restricted to evaluation of exercise capacity.