[Banding for pulmonary artery and subsequent repair in large ventricular septal defect (author's transl)]

Banding of the pulmonary artery was performed in 233 children with large, non restrictive ventricular septal defects. The group of isolated large VSDs consisted of 95 patients, of whom 8 died (8,4 per cent). 32 patients were subjected to open-heart operation for closure of the VSD and debanding. In this "two-stage group" the mortality rate was 6,3 per cent. At the second operation the pulmonary artery always should be enlarged with a pericardial patch. Our recordings up to 6 1/2 years after correction show no gradients left in cases surgically treated in this manner. The time-interval between effective banding and debanding procedure may not be limited strictly; the subsequent operation however should be done within two or three years.