Palliative Surgery for Tetralogy of Fallot: Report of 43 Cases

ABSTRACT

Forty three cases of the Tetralogy of Fallot for whom palliative surgical treatment was performed at the Department of Thoracic Surgery from January 1962 to October 1971 were reviewed in this study. 1. Sex ratio of the observed patients was 1.91, showing relating relatively high incidence on the male patients. 2. The age distribution in the series ranged from 2 to 24 years of age. and 31 patients were under 10 years of age. 3. On the electrocardiogram right ventricular hypertrophy pattern was observed in all of the patients and right axis deviation patern was observed in all except two cases which had dextrocardia and situs inversus visceralis. 4. The so-called "Pentalogy of Fallot" associated with atrial septal defect was observable in 7 cases and one of the pentalogy case had persistent left superior vena cava. Dextrocardia with situs inversus visceralis was observed in two cases. 5. Procedures employed in this series were as follows; Glenn operation in 13 cases, Bakulev operation in 1 cases, Blalock operation in 16 cases, Brock operation in 3 cases, Waterston's operation in 10 cases. 6. The operative mortality was 18.6% (8 cases).;i.e., 2 cases after Glenn operation, 2 cases after Brock operation, 1 case after Blalock operation, and 3 cases during or following Waterston's operation.