Open lung biopsy has been performed in patients with congenital heart disease and severe pulmonary hypertension in order to complement the decision-making process for surgical correction. All patients had clinical, hemodynamic and angiographic evaluation previously and would not be surgical candidates by conventional criteria. The 49 patients were studied from 198 0 to 1991 at the Instituto de Cardiologia do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Age range was 5m to 28y6m (mean=7y7m). The diagnoses were: VSD (16); PDA (3); VSD and SubAortic Stenosis (1); PDA and VSD (2); PDA and ASD (1); AVSD (7); Incomplete AVSV and PDA (1); PDA and ACo (1); AAI with PDA and VSD (2); DORV with VSD and or PDA (6); DOLV with PS (1); TA (1), TGA (1); Corrected TGA with VSD (1) and Truncus Arteriosus (5). There were 3 hospitalar deaths after the biopsy procedure (6.1%). When the pulmonary vascular lesions were classified as Heath-Edwards class III or less, surgical correction was performed. There were 21 patients, 11 simple defects (PDA; VSD; AVSD) with 4 deaths (36.4%) and 10 complex heart defects with 3 deaths (30%) . One patient with VSD had persistent evolutive pulmonary hypertension. The remaining 13 had benefited from the correction. In conclusion, lung biopsy may be useful for the surgical decision in congenital heart disease with severe pulmonary hypertension. As a surgical procedure with the involved risks, it must be selectively indicated. Most patients with vascular lesions below class III (H-E), despite other methods of evaluation would benefit from the corrective procedure.
hypertension, pulmonary; lung biopsy