[Right atrial-right ventricular anastomosis for correction of tricuspid atresia]

Primary correction of type 1 b tricuspid atresia with a right atrial-right ventricular anastomosis has been performed on a 23-month-old baby with excellent clinical and hemodynamic results. This type of operation, which has been described for the first time by Björk et al. in 3 patients aged 8, 9 and 12 years respectively, does not require any conduit or prosthesis since it employs the right atrial appendage and a patch of autologous pericardium. The authors review the surgical anatomy of tricuspid atresia, the various operative techniques so far employed for its correction, as well as other congenital heart diseases which could benefit from this surgical procedure. Moreover they underline the advantage of the latter technique which avoids the employment of any foreign material, can be performed in early infancy, and can be considered definitive since it obviates the need for initial palliative procedures.