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Growth in 60 children with surgically corrected tetralogy of Fallot

Abstract:

Growth status was followed in 60 children with Fallot's tetralogy for a mean of 3,3 years after total correction. In 32 of the patients a palliative shunt had been performed earlier with no effect on their growth. Complete correction improved growth status in 50 children. Best results were seen when the correction was performed between 2 and 4 years of age. Ten children (16.6%) did not improve their growth status; 5 of them underwent surgical correction before 2 years of age, although only 11 of the 50 children with significant improvement were operated before this age. Pathophysiological and therapeutic implications of these findings are discussed.