Repair of ventricular septal defect in adults

To evaluate the outcome of ventricular septal defect (VSD) with long duration of haemodynamic derangement, a retrospective study was made of 42 consecutive patients who underwent closure of VSD as adults (age range 15-48, mean 27 years). The mean systolic pulmonary arterial pressure was 53 mmHg, mean pulmonary vascular resistance 2.5 Wood units and mean pulmonary/systemic flow ratio 2.4. VSD was complicated by aortic regurgitation in 12 cases, mitral regurgitation in 4, and sinus of Valsalva fistula in 6 cases. There were 15 supracristal, 24 infracristal and 3 muscular VSDs. In addition to VSD closure, surgery included aortic valve replacement (7 cases), mitral valve replacement (2), valve repair by suture (7) and repair of Valsalva sinus fistula (6 cases). Two patients died in the early postoperative period and two during follow-up (1-10, mean 4.5 years). The early and the late mortality were related to large infracristal VSD, pulmonary hypertension and irreversible pulmonary vascular changes which could not be anticipated on the basis of high calculated shunt flow at preoperative catheterization. No patient with supracristal VSD died. Recurrent VSD was diagnosed in five patients, three of whom needed reoperation and recovered uneventfully. Reduction of heart size and improved exercise tolerance were the most pertinent follow-up findings. The results suggest that large supracristal VSD with aortic valve involvement can be successfully closed in adults, but that the prospect for large infracristal VSD is less favourable if correction is postponed until adulthood.