Results of surgery in rare congenital heart disease

Most patients presenting with this condition have supravalvular aortic stenosis either in a localised form or associated with hypoplasia of the aortic arch. This localised form is not difficult to correct since the narrowing can easily be opened up from above the constriction to below and then a diamond patch can be sutured in at the level of the stenosis in order to enlarge the constricted area. Those cases in which there co-exists hypoplasia of the ascending aorta or of the aortic arch are more difficult to treat and it has only been during the past few years that these special forms have met with surgical success.