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Pulmonary cusp augmentation in repair of tetralogy of Fallot
Sukasom Attanawanich1, Montein Ngodgnamthaweesuk, Narumol Kitjanon
1Division of Thoracic Surgery, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand. Rasac@mahidol.ac.th
Insights
Transannular patch repair with pulmonary cusp augmentation significantly reduces pulmonary insufficiency and improves long-term outcomes in Tetralogy of Fallot patients. This technique offers a lower operative mortality compared to conventional repair.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Surgery
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Congenital Heart Disease
Background:
- Pulmonary insufficiency following transannular patch repair for Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) is linked to adverse patient outcomes.
- Hypoplasia of the right ventricular outflow tract is a common challenge in TOF repair.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the clinical outcomes of two distinct transannular patch repair techniques for TOF.
- To evaluate the efficacy of pulmonary cusp augmentation in mitigating postoperative pulmonary insufficiency.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective analysis of 93 pediatric patients (6 months to 12 years) with TOF and right ventricular outflow tract hypoplasia undergoing surgical repair between 1990 and 2004.
- Patients were divided into two groups: conventional transannular patch repair (n=38) and transannular patch repair with pulmonary cusp augmentation (n=55).
Main Results:
- Transannular patch repair with pulmonary cusp augmentation demonstrated a 0% mortality rate, compared to 13.16% in the conventional group.
- The pulmonary cusp augmentation group showed significantly less pulmonary insufficiency in early and midterm follow-up.
- While associated with longer operative times, pulmonary cusp augmentation led to a lower operative mortality and better long-term results regarding pulmonary insufficiency, cardiothoracic ratio, and reoperation rates.
Conclusions:
- Reconstruction of the native pulmonary valve with pulmonary cusp augmentation is a superior technique for TOF repair.
- This approach effectively reduces postoperative pulmonary insufficiency and leads to more favorable long-term clinical outcomes.
Background:
pulmonary insufficiency after transannular patch repair of tetralogy of Fallot is associated with a poorer outcome.
Objective:
to compare the results of 2 techniques of transannular patch repair.
Methods:
93 patients with tetralogy of Fallot and hypoplasia of the right ventricular outflow tract underwent repair between 1990 and 2004 by 2 different techniques. Their ages ranged from 6 months to 12 years. The conventional transannular patch repair was used in 38 patients and 55 had transannular patch repair with pulmonary cusp augmentation.
Results:
mortality rates were 13.16% after conventional transannular patch repair and 0% after transannular patch repair with pulmonary cusp augmentation. Follow-up periods were 13-18 years (mean, 15.7±1.64 years) and 5-14 years (mean, 10.8±2.07 years), respectively. The early and midterm results demonstrated significantly more pulmonary insufficiency in the conventional repair group. Transannular patch repair with pulmonary cusp augmentation had longer bypass and operative times, but it was associated with a lower operative mortality than conventional repair. The long-term results showed differences in pulmonary insufficiency, cardiothoracic ratio, and rate of reoperation for pulmonary valve replacement.
Conclusion:
reconstruction of the native pulmonary valve accompanied by pulmonary cusp augmentation can reduce postoperative pulmonary insufficiency and has a more favorable long-term outcome.

