[Surgical treatment of tetralogy of Fallot associated with an anomalous coronary vessel].

Anomalous coronary arteries crossing the outflow tract of the right ventricle in tetralogy of Fallot have a prominent surgical importance in total correction. The unintentional section of these arteries is followed by a high mortality. In the period between 1977 and 1987, 475 patients with tetralogy of Fallot were operated on. Fourteen of these patients had anomalous coronaries crossing the right ventricle. Three of the patients were less than one year of age. Eleven patients were male. Diagnosis was performed in the operating room in 13 patients. Twelve patients had the anterior descending artery originating from the right coronary, and two presented single left coronary arteries. During the surgical procedure two patients had the anomalous coronary artery divided; in one a saphenous vein bypass graft was used and in the second and end-to-end anastomosis was performed. In the remaining 12 cases, a transverse ventriculotomy (one case), extensive dissection of the anomalous coronary artery (two cases), a palliative procedure (one case), a valved conduit between the right ventricle and the pulmonary artery (one case) and total correction through the atriopulmonary approach (seven cases) were performed. No immediate mortality was observed and there was one late death. The authors suggest that, whenever anatomical conditions permit, the atriopulmonary approach should be preferred in the repair of tetralogy of Fallot associated to anomalous coronary arteries.