Surgical management of aortopulmonary window

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Cardiology
• Congenital Heart Surgery
• Vascular Malformations

Background:

• Aortopulmonary window (APW) is a rare congenital heart defect characterized by abnormal communication between the aorta and pulmonary artery.
• APW often presents with other complex cardiac anomalies, posing surgical challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present surgical experience with aortopulmonary window repair in pediatric patients.
• To evaluate the long-term outcomes of surgical intervention for APW, particularly in the presence of associated anomalies.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 13 children undergoing surgical repair of aortopulmonary window.
• Patients' ages ranged from 3 days to 1 year, with various associated congenital heart lesions including interrupted aortic arch.
• Surgical repair involved cardiopulmonary bypass in 11 patients and ligation in 2.

Main Results:

• A single mortality (7.7%) occurred in a patient with tricuspid atresia.
• No late deaths were observed during a mean follow-up of 7 years and 3 months.
• The majority of patients demonstrated favorable long-term outcomes.

Conclusions:

• Surgical repair of aortopulmonary window is effective and yields encouraging results, even in complex cases with major cardiac anomalies.
• Patients with aortopulmonary window, including those with interrupted aortic arch, can achieve good long-term outcomes following surgical correction.