New ways of treating children with congenital heart disease.

The rapid development of new methods of diagnosis and treatment of children with congenital heart disease is revealed. Because of decreasing death risk open heart surgery is now available already in infancy. Early corrective surgery has advantages to two-step repair. As an example of new ways of treatment a reconstructive method for tricuspid atresia is presented and the follow-up results of 41 total repairs of complete AV canal are reviewed. Double-outlet right ventricle and truncus communis are two other malformations that are accessible for successful reconstructive surgery.