• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.10-16
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• 1988

Ten patients with tetralogy of Fallot were studied angiocardiographically before a modified Blalock-Taussig shunt and again 25*3.2 months after the previous shunt. All of ten patients had patent previous shunt at the time of follow up examination. Pre-and postoperative diameters of left and right pulmonary artery and descending aorta were measured and pulmonary artery index [the sum of the crossectional areas of the right and left pulmonary arteries standardized by the body surface area] was calculated. The ratio of mean diameter of left and right pulmonary arteries to the diameter of the descending aorta [LPA+RPA/2xDA] was increased postoperatively by 0.20*0.068 [p=0.020]. Mean PAI [pulmonary artery index] increased from 283.8*178.4 mm/m2 BSA to 345.8~144.5 mm/m2 BSA after shunt operation [p=0.019]. This results suggested that the modified Blalock-Taussig shunt was effective to help growth of the pulmonary arteries in most cases of the study populations but the ones with the PAI>233mm*/m* BSA appeared less benefited by Blalock Taussig shunt. Calculation of PAI could be an aid to making a decision whether to perform a one stage corrective surgical procedure or a palliative shunt procedure in the patient with small pulmonary arteries.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.136-142
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• 1988

Between February, 1983, and March, 1987, thirty-one systemic-pulmonary shunts were performed in 28 patients with cyanotic congenital heart disease. Age ranged from 8 months to 28 years [mean age, 5.4 years, Weight ranged from 7 kg to 48 kg [mean weight, 16kg]. There were 4 classic Blalock-Taussig shunts, 5 central polytetrafluoroethylene shunts, 1 aorta-right pulmonary artery shunt with graft, and 21 modified Blalock-Taussig shunts. One patient required another shunt immediately due to insufficient pulmonary blood flow with patent graft. There was no postoperative death. Conduit diameters included 4mm [2 cases], 5 mm [22 cases], and 6 mm [3 cases]. Long term follow up was available in 27 patients [96.4%] with mean period of 20 months [range, 4 months to 49 months]. The effectiveness of shunt was evaluated by cardiac catheterization with angiography [15 patients] or clinically. They showed improvement of systemic oxygen saturation values by 12% and decrease of hemoglobin by 2.3gm/dl [P<0.01]. There were 2 shunt occlusion in central shunts at 32 and 48 months respectively, and one narrowing of graft in modified Blalock-Taussig shunt at 12 months. The patency rate was 91.6% at 24 months for 5 mm grafts in modified Blalock-Taussig shunt.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.57 no.3
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• pp.231-239
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• 2024

Background: Although the modified Blalock-Taussig shunt remains the mainstay method of palliation for augmenting pulmonary blood flow in various congenital heart diseases, the shunt must be carefully designed to achieve the best outcomes. This study investigated the effect of shunt configuration on pulmonary artery growth and growth discrepancy. Methods: Twenty patients with successful modified Blalock-Taussig shunt takedown were analyzed. Pulmonary artery and shunt characteristics were obtained using computed tomography scans. Differences in the baseline and follow-up diameter ratios and growth in the ipsilateral and contralateral arteries were calculated. The angle between the shunt and pulmonary artery, as well as the distance from the main pulmonary artery bifurcation, were measured. Correlations between pulmonary arteries and shunt configurations were analyzed. Results: The median interval time between shunt placement and takedown was 154.5 days (interquartile range, 113.25-276.25 days). Follow-up values of the ipsilateral-to-contralateral pulmonary artery diameter ratio showed no significant correlation with the shunt angle (ρ=0.429, p=0.126) or distance (ρ=0.110, p=0.645). The shunt angle and distance from the main pulmonary bifurcation showed no significant correlation (ρ=-0.373, p=0.189). Pulmonary artery growth was negatively correlated with shunt angle (ipsilateral, ρ=-0.565 and p=0.035; contralateral, ρ=-0.578 and p=0.030), but not with distance (ipsilateral, ρ=-0.065 and p=0.786; contralateral, ρ=-0.130 and p=0.586). Conclusion: Shunt configuration had no significant effect on growth imbalance. The angle and distance of the shunt showed no significant correlation with each other. A more vertical shunt was associated with significant pulmonary artery growth. We suggest a more vertical graft design for improved pulmonary artery growth.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.28 no.11
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• pp.983-988
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• 1995

From January 1983 to December 1994, 48 cyanotic patients were underwent a subclavian artery-pulmonary artery shunt using polytetrafluoroethylene[PTFE for the purpose of improvement of reduced pulmonary blood flow. The diameters of the PTFE used were 4mm[4 cases , 5mm[36 cases , and 6mm[8 cases sizes. The effectiveness of modified Blalock-Taussig shunts was evaluated clinically and angiographically. There were 5 early deaths and 2 late deaths. There were 3 early shunt failures and 5 late shunt failures. The overall graft patency rate was 83.3%. Postoperative hemoglobin was reduced significantly[p = 0.0011 in comparison of the preoperative and postoperative hemoglobin, SaO2, PaO2, and cardiothoracic ratio.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.594-600
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• 1989

Primary intracardiac repair of tetralogy of Fallot with low mortality and early good results, has been accomplished in recent years. But palliative procedures have been reserved for those hypoplastic pulmonary arteries, a hypoplastic left ventricle or anomalies of the coronary artery would make total correction difficult. And the Blalock-Taussig shunt operation is recognized as a standard and popular palliative procedure. I undertook a retrospective determination of the effect of the Blalock-Taussig shunt operation on the development of the main pulmonary artery and the right and left pulmonary arteries. Between January, 1980, and April, 1987, at the Severance Hospital, 16 patients were studied by cardiac catheterization and angiocardiography, before undergoing Blalock-Taussig shunting procedures for the palliation of severe symptoms of tetralogy of Fallot, and some time later, usually prior to a second procedure. The mean interval between catheterizations was 22.25 months. Patients with tetralogy of Fallot and pulmonary atresia or with an occluded shunt were not included. The primary and secondary angiograms of each patient were reviewed, and measurements of the diameter of the main pulmonary artery, the right and left pulmonary arteries, and the descending thoracic aorta were taken. The results are as follows; 1. The hematocrit decreased from 56.39% to 50.34%[p< 0.05], and the arterial oxygen saturation increased from 62.00 % to 81.31 %[p< 0.001] following shunt procedures 2. The ratio of the diameter of the right pulmonary artery plus the left pulmonary artery to the diameter of the descending thoracic aorta increased 1.30 k 0.28 times [p< 0.01]; but the ratio of the diameter of the main pulmonary artery to the diameter of the descending thoracic aorta increased 1.10 * 0.33 times, which was not. significant[p< 0.05]. 3. The interval between shunting and second catheterization was not related to the magnitude of change in the pulmonary arteries[r=0.141, p >0.05]. 4. The changes in the ratio of the diameter of the right pulmonary artery plus the diameter of the left pulmonary artery to the diameter of the descending thoracic aorta was inversely related to the initial ratio[r=0.757, p >0.001], but the change in the ratio of the diameter of the main pulmonary artery to the descending thoracic aorta was not related[r=0.059, p >0.05]. 5. There were no differences in enlargement of the pulmonary artery on the side of the shunt [ipsilateral] versus enlargement on the opposite side [p >0.05], nor according to the size of the shunt[p >0.05]. In conclusion, this study suggests that the Blalock-Taussig shunt is effective for the development of the right and left pulmonary arteries but not effective for the main pulmonary artery.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.256-264
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• 1989

Modified Blalock-Taussig operation remains the standard technique of systemic-to-pulmonary artery shunt in patients of congenital heart disease with decreased pulmonary blood flow. We reviewed the 41 patients who had been performed modified Blalock-Taussig operation from March 1985 to Feb. 1988, and angiographically measured pulmonary artery size before and after shunt, and calculated pulmonary artery index [PAI] and ratio of left and right pulmonary artery to descending aorta[[LPA+RPA]/dAo]. The mean duration of palliation after shunt operation was 624 days and mean age of the patient at shunt operation was 3.59 years. Mean PAI increased significantly from 131.15*67.11 mm2/M2 preoperatively to 232.70*84.46 mm2/M2 postoperatively. Mean ratio of right and left pulmonary artery to descending aorta also increased significantly from 1.48*0.40 preoperatively to 1.92*0.50 postoperatively. All patients manifested clinical improvement; there was mean decrease in hematocrit of 8.95%, mean increase in arterial oxygen saturation of 11.08%. Pulmonary arterial growth was not influenced by age at operation, initial pulmonary artery size, or graft size, but significantly influenced by antegrade flow. The patients who have some antegrade flow were in more increase of PAI. There were no linear correlation between change of PAI, change of [[LPA+RPA]/dAo], SaO2, and duration. But, according to Scatterplot between change of PAI and duration, some complex correlation was suggested and mean PAI was decreased after 2-year palliation. We concluded that modified Blalock-Taussig operation is excellent palliative surgery for pulmonary artery growth especially on the patient who have some antegrade flow, and the proper duration of palliation was about 2 years.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.55-61
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• 1988

This report provides follow-up data on 116 patients with congenital cyanotic heart disease, aging 1 month to 13 years [median: 1.8 years], who underwent the modified Blalock-Taussig shunt using polytetrafluoroethylene graft at Seoul National University Hospital between September, 1984 and June, 1987. Among 116 patients complete follow-up studies were done on 95 patients. The mean preoperative arterial oxygen tension was 36 torr. Thirty-Six patients [38%] underwent operation in infancy. Conduit diameters included 4mm [15 cases], 5mm [47 cases], and 6mm [33 cases] sizes. The mean postoperative arterial oxygen tension was 52 torr [P<0.001]. The effectiveness of shunts was evaluated clinically and by shunt murmur, echocardiography and cardiac catheterization with angiography 1 to 31 months after operation. The incidence of shunt occlusion was 9.5% and the mortality was 14.8%. The actuarial patency rate was 83.1 * 6.4% and the actuarial survival rate was 82.5 * 4.5% at 30 months` follow-up for all patients. The effectiveness of the 4mm diameter conduit may be limited. Blalock-Taussig procedure is an effective alternative to the classic B-T shunt in congenital cyanotic heart disease.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.38 no.5 s.250
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• pp.335-348
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• 2005

Background: This retrospective review examines the preoperative condition, postoperative course, mortality and cause of death for the patients who underwent modified Blalock-Taussig shunt for complex congenital heart defects in early infancy. Material and Method: Fifty eight patients underwent modified Blalock-Taussig shunts from January 2000 to November 2003. The mean age at operation was $23.1\pm16.2$ days ($5\~81\;days$), and the mean body weight was $3.4\pm0.7\;kg\;(2.1\~4.3\;kg)$. Indications for surgery were pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect in 12 cases, pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum in 17, single ventricle (SV) in 18, and hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) in 11. Total anomalous pulmonary venous return (TAPVR) was associated with SV in 4 cases. Result: There were 11 ($19.0\%$) early, and 5 ($10.6\%$) late deaths. Causes of early death included low cardiac output in 9, arrhythmia in 1, and multiorgan failure in 1. Late deaths resulted from pneumonia in 2, hypoxia in 1, and sepsis in 1. Risk factors influencing mortality were preoperative pulmonary hypertension, metabolic acidosis, use of cardiopulmonary bypass, HLHS and TAPVR. Twenty four patients ($41.4\%$) had hemodynamic instability during the 48 postoperative-hours. Six patients underwent shunt revision for occlusion, and 1 shunt division for pulmonary overflow. Conclusion: Modified Blalock-Taussig shunt for complex congenital heart defects in early infancy had satisfactory results except in high risk groups. Many patients had early postoperative hemodynamic instability, which means that continuous close observation and management are mandatory in this period. Aggressive management may appear warranted based on understanding of hemodynamic changes for high risk groups.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.378-382
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• 1997

To evaulate the effectiveness and risk factors for shunt failure of the Blalock-Taussig shunt in neonates, we analyzed the 21 neonates who were undergone Blalok-Taussig shunt operation at Dong-A University Hospital from December 1991 to Feburary 1996. We evaluated operative mortality, patency of the shunt. and distortion of pulmonary artery. We also determined the risk factors for the shunt failure. Age at operation was from 1 day to 30 days(mean 11.7 days). We ghts were 2.4 to 4.5kg(mean 3.1 kg). The underlying lesions included severe tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary stenosls or atresia(N=11) and single ventricle varieties with. pulmonary stenosis or atresia(N=10). Prostaglandin El was given in 13 neonates prior to operation. The mean preoperative(prior to prostaglandin El therapy) and postoperative arterial oxygen tension were 30.1 mmHg and 46.3 mmHg respectively(P(0.01). The shunt was performed through a left thoracotomy in 11 patients and through a right thoracotomy In 10. A 5 mm graft was used in 15 patients and a 4 mm graft in 6 patients. The incidence of early shunt occlusion was 9.5%(2 patients). The hospital mortality was 9.5%(2 patients with early shunt occlusion). Univariate analysis revealed that body weight of 2.6 kg or less(p=0.021), pulmonary artery size of 3mm or less(p=0.008), and 4 mm graft (p=0.021) were risk factors predictive of early shunt failure. The patency rate of the shunt in hospital survivors was 100% at mean ollow-up of ll.3 months(There was not death or reoperation related to shunt failure). 10 patients were catheterized during postoperative follow-up. There was no significant distorsion of pulmonary artery. So we concluded that the modified Blalock-Taussig shunt in neonates was excellent in the hospital survivors.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.49-60
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• 1990

Between Jan. 1962 and Dec. 1988 380 cases of palliative operations were done in 357 patients for congenital heart disease. These includes 55 cases of classic Blalock-Taussig shunt, 212 cases of modified Blalock-Taussig shunt, 17 cases of Glenn shunt, 26 cases of Waterston shunt, 3 cases of Brock procedure, 33 cases of pulmonary artery banding, 6 cases of transpulmonary valvotomy, 4 cases of unifocalization, and 10 cases of open atrial septectomy. We divided the operative procedures into the conventional and the unconventional. Under the unconventional procedures, the cases since April, 1986 were only included. The number of patients who died within the early 30 days after operation is the following: 40 in systemic-pulmonary shunts, 2 in Brock procedure, 12 in PAB, 15 in unconventional procedures. The age of the patients who need palliative operation is lowering more and more and their characteristics of the disease is being transferred to the more complexities. So the role of palliative surgery in the congenital heart disease is changing.