Author/Authors :
Yamada, Yu Department of Cardiology - Faculty of Medicine - University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan , Ishizu, Tomoko Department of Cardiology - Faculty of Medicine - University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan , Tsuneoka, Hidekazu Department of Cardiology - Faculty of Medicine - University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan , Eki, Yutaka Department of Cardiology - Hitachi General Hospital, Ibaraki, Japan , Horigome, Hitoshi Department of Pediatrics - University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
Abstract :
The prognosis of tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) treated only with Blalock-Taussig shunt (BTS) operation is unclear. A woman with TOF
underwent classic BTS operation at 10 years of age. Despite no medication, she delivered two children and worked without apparent
heart failure. At 72 years of age, she complained of dyspnea on exertion and leg edema. The cardiac angiogram revealed a wellpatent BTS and severely stenotic right ventricular outflow tract. Right heart catheterization showed adequately maintained
pulmonary blood flow with slight pulmonary arterial hypertension. Her unexpected yet favorable outcome reaffirms the
importance of structural and functional self-adaptation even with cyanosis. If she had undergone a valve-sparing corrective
surgery in adolescence, much better quality of life and outcome could have been expected.
