J.Jpn. Surg. Soc.. 80(12): 1356-1359, 1979

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Report on the annual meeting

CARDIOVASCULAR SURGERY FOR CONGENITAL HEART DISEASES:PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

Surgery for congenital heart diseases has made a remarkable progress in the past decades. Its prime aim at improving the survival rate in the pioneer ages shifted gradually to attain more physiological correction compatible with the normal life span and nearly normal physical activity in the recent years. Simple and standerdized operation, such as closure of the ventricular septal defect aroused a renewed interest regarding preservation of the right ventricular function and prevention of the right bundle branch block. And the transatrial or transpulmonary approach gained popularity for that purposes. In tetralogy of Fallot, we have developed a method to avoid even minor conduction disturbances inclusive of RBBB and currently 70% of the cases undergone total correction showed no RBBB. Similar method was also applicable for closure of VSD in endocardial cushion defect and in corrected transposition.
A number of problems still remains to be solved regarding regurgitation of the atrioventricular valve, operations for complete transposition, and external conduit repair on the long-term basis. Although reliable and long-lasting surgical procedures have to be developed in the future for these entities, polytetrafluoroethylene membrane as pericardial substitute has been helpful in prevention of adhesion at second-look operation in our hand.

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