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Updated: Aug 12, 2026

Shunt Surgery, Right Heart Catheterization, and Vascular Morphometry in a Rat Model for Flow-induced Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
Published on: February 11, 2017
Pathophysiological aspects after cavopulmonary anastomosis
1Department of Pediatric and Congenital Cardiology, Gasthuisberg University Hospital, University of Leuven, Belgium. marc.gewillig@uz.kuleuven.ac.be
Abstract:
The ventricle of a functionally univentricular heart is known to be dilated, hypertrophic and hypocontractile before and after completion of a Fontan type of circuit. Ventricular dysfunction can be due to the congenital malformation itself, previous surgical conditions, or the very abnormal working conditions of the ventricle at the various stages of palliation. Because of the very different types of ventricle, it remains difficult to assess size, shape, hypertrophy, stress, strain, contraction and relaxation. The ventricle after birth tries to adapt to different and very abnormal circulations, evolving from overloaded and overstretched while shunted, to underloaded and overgrown after a Fontan type of circulation.
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