OBJECTIVE: To describe the technique of implantation and to show the echocardiographic follow-up of the decellularized cusps allografts used in patients with tetralogy of Fallot. METHODS: Fifteen patients underwent this implantation between March 2005 and August 2007 and they were clinically followed-up. An echocardiogram was performed to evaluate the morphofunctional result of the allografts. RESULTS: The mean follow-up was 12.7 months (1-25 months). The echocardiography results showed that pulmonary insufficiency was mild in nine (60%) patients, moderate in three (20%) patients, and severe in three (20%) patients. The results also showed that the systolic right ventricle function was normal in 13 (86.7%) and that there was mild dysfunction in two (13.3%). Eleven (73.4%) patients did not present any gradient in the right ventricular outflow tract and four (26.6%) presented mild stenosis. The mobility of the cusps were normal in all cases and there was no thickness larger than 1,5mm. There was no calcification; 14 patients (93,3%) presented Z score between -1 and 0,7 and one patient presented dilated pulmonary annulus with a Z score of + 2.5. CONCLUSION: In midium-term follow-up, the decellularized allograft seemed to be a good option for right ventricle outflow tract enlargement in patients underwent tetralogy of Fallot.
Tetralogy of Fallot; Heart defects, congenital; Treatment outcome; Child; Follow-up studies; Transplantation, homologous
