Congenital Cardiac Defects That Are Borderline Candidates for Biventricular Repair

This article discusses congenital heart defects that are marginal candidates for biventricular repair and highlights the anatomic considerations upon which the surgical decision is based. Specifically, the article reviews the importance of capacitance and compliance of the ventricles and their associated atrioventricular valves. For each of the defects discussed, the imaging modalities used to diagnose a marginal ventricle are reviewed and the surgical decision-making process is outlined. The article also reviews immediate postoperative treatment of these patients and when to consider biventricular repair of a marginal lesion to be a failure.