Timing of Repair in Tetralogy of Fallot: Effects on Outcomes and Myocardial Health

Daniel Peck, Justin Tretter, Mathias Possner, Katherine Yutzey, Farhan Zafar, David Morales, Tarek Alsaied

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

6 Scopus citations

Abstract

Early complete repair of tetralogy of Fallot (ToF) prior to 1 year of age has been demonstrated to be safe and has survival benefits over late repair. The age at repair of ToF affects long-term outcomes. This may largely be related to preserved, or comparatively better, myocardial health. Most studies advocate for an age of repair between 3 and 6 months and certainly below the age of 1 year. Patients with severe right ventricular outflow tract obstruction represent an exception to this rule and may require neonatal repair or surgical and catheter-based palliation before surgery. Older age at repair beyond the first birthday leads to unfavorable right ventricular remodeling with increased right ventricular stiffness and hypertrophy and is associated with increased long-term ventricular tachycardia and all-cause mortality. In this article, we review the short- and long-term benefits of early repair, with a focus on long-term morbidity. In conclusion, we emphasize the importance of myocardial health and the relationship to early repair and advocate for the use of magnetic resonance imaging in adult patients with repaired ToF to detect myocardial fibrosis.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)62-67
Number of pages6
JournalCardiology in Review
Volume29
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 1 2021
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
©2020 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

Keywords

  • late gadolinium enhancement
  • myocardial fibrosis
  • sudden cardiac death
  • tetralogy of Fallot
  • timing of repair

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