[Truncal valve regurgitation and stenosis in persistent truncus arteriosus: echocardiographic evaluation of pre- and postsurgical states].

Twenty-four patients with persistent truncus arteriosus who underwent total surgical correction at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada between October 1984 and December 1987 were investigated to determine whether the postoperative course is satisfactory even without performing replacement of the truncal valve. All patients but one were less than 6 months of age. There were 9 operative deaths with a mortality rate of 37%. The most significant incremental risk factor was age of less than 30 days at the time of surgery (p < 0.01). The operative mortality did not correlate with the degree of preoperative truncal valve regurgitation nor stenosis. Among 15 hospital survivors, 14 patients were followed by echocardiography within one week after surgery, 4 of whom were reexamined within 2 weeks. Four patients without truncal valve regurgitation and stenosis underwent successful surgery, however, mild regurgitation developed in one 2 weeks after surgery. Among 4 patients with solitary truncal valve regurgitation, 2 improved and the other 2 did not. Among 5 patients with truncal regurgitation and stenosis, 3 improved in both truncal valve regurgitation and stenosis, but improvement was observed in only stenosis in the other 2 patients. One patient with stenosis improved, but developed mild regurgitation 2 weeks later. After radical surgery, 8 of the 10 patients (80%) with regurgitation and/or stenosis showed improvement without performing replacement of the truncal valve.