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[Growth in 60 children with surgically corrected tetralogy of Fallot]
Anales Espanoles De Pediatria
|November 1, 1982
Insights
Total correction of Fallot
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Pediatric Cardiac Surgery
- Pediatric Endocrinology
Context:
- Fallot's tetralogy is a complex congenital heart defect.
- Surgical correction is the standard treatment.
- Growth status following correction is a key indicator of long-term outcomes.
Purpose:
- To evaluate the impact of surgical correction on the growth status of children with Fallot's tetralogy.
- To determine the optimal age for surgical correction to maximize growth improvement.
Summary:
- This study followed 60 children post-Fallot's tetralogy correction.
- Complete correction improved growth in 50 children, with optimal results observed between 2 and 4 years of age.
- Ten children showed no growth improvement, with 5 having undergone surgery before age 2.
Impact:
- Findings suggest that the timing of surgical correction significantly influences post-operative growth in children with Fallot's tetralogy.
- Early surgical correction before 2 years may be associated with less favorable growth outcomes.
- Optimizing surgical timing can improve long-term growth and development in these patients.
Abstract:
Growth status was followed in 60 children with Fallot's tetralogy for a mean of 3,3 years after total correction. In 32 of the patients a palliative shunt had been performed earlier with no effect on their growth. Complete correction improved growth status in 50 children. Best results were seen when the correction was performed between 2 and 4 years of age. Ten children (16.6%) did not improve their growth status; 5 of them underwent surgical correction before 2 years of age, although only 11 of the 50 children with significant improvement were operated before this age. Pathophysiological and therapeutic implications of these findings are discussed.