Arterial switch with internal pulmonary artery banding. A new palliation for TGA and VSD in complex cases.

In most cases, one stage repair by arterial switch operation (ASO) is the optimal treatment for neonates with transposition of the great arteries (TGA). Nevertheless, a ventricular septal defect (VSD) associated with TGA remains a major risk factor for early death and reoperation after complete repair in neonates with complex anatomy. A new palliative approach for such specific cases is proposed. An internal pulmonary artery banding (IPAB), as that already used to palliate other cardiac malformations, is performed in association with ASO instead of VSD closure. At the end of ASO, a circular polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE) patch with a 4-mm central hole is oversewn into the neo-pulmonary trunk. We adopted this method in a 17-day-old boy with TGA, VSD, hypoplastic tricuspid valve and diminutive right ventricle. After the operation the child thrived and was doing well without medication. Satisfactory growth of the right ventricle and tricuspid valve was observed by echocardiography during the following months. The patient successfully underwent VSD closure and IPAB removal 2 years after the first procedure. ASO with IPAB could be appropriate in all forms of TGA and VSD in which VSD closure appears too challenging in the neonatal period and in patients with uncertain suitability for biventricular repair. We preferred to use IPAB instead of classic PAB in order to reduce the risk of pulmonary valve damage, pulmonary artery distortion, and above all pulmonary artery dilatation and related coronary compression. In the presented case the strategy as well as IPAB worked according to our expectations.