Between March, 1986 and September, 1989, nonvalved conduits were used in 9 patients, ages ranging between five and seventeen years. Cardiac pathologies were atrioventricular and ventriculoarterial discordance with ventricular septal defects (VSD) and pulmonary stenoses (PS) in 5, transposition of great arteries (TGA) + VSD + PS in 1, and double-outlet left ventricle (DOLV) + VSD + PS in 3. Pulmonary obstruction was valvular in 1, valvular and infundibular in 7. There was 1 patient with pulmonary atresia.
Valveless conduits 16-22 mm in diameter were used between the pulmonic ventricle and the pulmonary artery. All patients recovered from operation and remained well, except 1 with DOLV who died with severe arrhythmias the third postoperative day. During the mean follow-up of 32 ± 11.8 months 1 patient died of acute cardiac failure in the ninth month and all other patients were asymptomatic without needing reoperations.
These results have been encouraging for the use of nonvalved conduits in complex congenital cardiac anomalies.
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