Congenital Heart Surgery Nomenclature and Database Project: aortico-left ventricular tunnel

The extant nomenclature for aortico-left ventricular tunnel is reviewed for the purpose of establishing a unified reporting system. The subject was debated and reviewed by members of the STS-Congenital Heart Surgery Database Committee and representatives from the European Association for Cardiothoracic Surgery. Efforts were made to include all relevant nomenclature categories using synonyms where appropriate. The Hovaguimian classification appears most useful to surgeons: type 1, a simple tunnel with a slit-like opening at the aortic end, no aortic valve distortion; type II, a large extracardiac aortic wall aneurysm of the tunnel with an oval opening at the aortic end, with or without ventricular distortion; type III, intracardiac aneurysm of the septal portion of the tunnel, with or without right ventricular outflow tract obstruction; and type IV, a combination of type II and III. A comprehensive database set is presented, which is based on a hierarchical scheme. Data are entered at various levels of complexity and detail, which can be determined by the clinician. These data can lay the foundation for comprehensive risk stratification analyses. A minimum database set is also presented which will allow for data sharing and would lend itself to basic interpretation of trends. Outcome tables relating diagnoses, procedures, and various risk factors are presented.