[Complete repair of tetralogy of Fallot in infants under the age of 6 months. Apropos of 25 cases].

Between January 1982 and October 1988, 25 infants with Tetralogy of Fallot underwent total correction, total primary repair was carried out in 22 cases; 3 underwent correction after a palliative anastomosis. The average age was 3.7 +/- 1.6 months; the average weight was 5.06 +/- 1.41 kg and average body surface area was 0.30 +/- 0.06 m2. Nineteen patients had a regular anatomic form and 6 had an irregular form of the condition. The hospital mortality was 8% (2 cases): the mortality was nil in the regular anatomic form but 33% in the irregular anatomic forms. Twenty-one patients have been followed up for an average of 50.8 +/- 19.2 months. There were no late deaths; two patients were reoperated for a residual pulmonary stenosis; 19 patients are well and asymptomatic. Doppler echocardiography shows a residual pressure gradient between the right ventricule and pulmonary artery of 17.8 +/- 22.7 mmHg associated with a grade 1-2/4 pulmonary regurgitation. There are no residual ventricular septal defects or cases of atrioventricular block requiring permanent pacing.