Conventional repair of total anomalous venous drainage without primary sutureless technique: surgical tips to prevent pulmonary vein obstruction

Koichi Sughimoto, Kagami Miyaji, Norihiko Oka, Shinzo Torii, Tadashi Kitamura

Kitasato University School of Medicine. British Columbia Children’s Hospital.
Japan and Canada

General Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery
Gen Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2018; 66: 405-410
DOI: 10.1007/s11748-018-0921-2

Abstract
Objectives: Although primary sutureless technique for total anomalous pulmonary venous drainage has been introduced to reduce postoperative pulmonary vein obstruction (PVO), controversy still exists about superiority of the procedure between the conventional repair and primary sutureless technique at the initial repair. In our unit, the conventional repair has been consistently used based on four important surgical policies: (1) mark incision lines between 2 chambers to gain anatomically natural alignment, (2) place precise stitches by “intima-to-intima” using monofilament suture, (3) adequate orifice size should be guaranteed in greater than expected mitral valve size, (4) do not hesitate to undertake a redo additional anastomosis by a different approach when an echocardiography shows the velocity more than 1.5 m/s. This study aims to evaluate mid-term outcome of the conventional repair for total anomalous pulmonary venous drainage.
Methods: Between 2004 and 2016, consecutive 15 patients who underwent the conventional repair without the primary sutureless technique were included in this study. Survival, Freedom from reoperation, and PVO were retrospectively reviewed.
Results: Mean follow-up period was 4.6 ± 3.7 years. Except for one patient who died of uncontrollable pleural effusion, all other patients survived with 5-year survival rate of 93.3%. For the 14 survivors, there was no PVO, nor reoperation.
Conclusions: Following these policies, the mid-term outcome of the conventional total anomalous pulmonary venous drainage repair was excellent without the primary sutureless technique showing no obstruction. The conventional repair can be safely applied at the initial operation when the morphological condition allows for it.

Category
Stenosis or Obstruction of Pulmonary Veins Following Surgical Repair of Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Connections
Surgical Interventions to Prevent or Limit Disease Associated with Repair of Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Connections or Heart Transplantation

Year of Publication: 2018

Age Focus: Pediatric

Article Type: Retrospective Observational Cohort Studies (>10 patients)

Article Access: Free PDF File or Full Text Article Available Through PubMed or DOI: No