The Findings of Long-Term Follow-up of Right Ventricular Outflow Tract Stenting versus Blalock Taussig (BT) Shunting after Total Correction Surgery of Tetralogy of Fallot

Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) is the most common congenital cyanotic heart disease. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of intraventional ventricular outflow tract stenting and insertion of surgical Gortex shunt in infants with less than 6 months of age before total correction surgery of these patients.

In this cross-sectional prospective study, 24 patients with TOF who were less than 6 months of age, were not eligible for total correction surgery, and were admitted to Chamran Hospital affiliated to Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran, were studied. 12 patients with less than of 2 months of age were stented and 12 patients were shunted. After 3 to 6 months, all patients underwent complete surgery, and the results were compared.

The length of intensive care unit (ICU) stay during the first procedure was shorter in stent group (1.41 ± 0.66 vs 2.83 ± 0.71 days, P = 0.001). Patients in stent group had less O2</sub> saturation levels at the time of stent implantation compared to the shunt group (67.50 ± 2.02 vs 74.50 ± 3.98 percent, P = 0.001). There were no significant differences between the two groups after total correction in ICU (P = 0.881) and hospital stay times (P = 0.559). One patient from each groups died in the follow-up period.

Stenting for the right ventricular outflow tract can be a better method in low-weight and young-age patients who are not good candidates for total correction; this method has fewer complications and hospital stay period.