The bidirectional Glenn anastomosis has bee used as an effective mean of palliating complex heart defects, in those patients that doesn't meet the necessary criteria for prosecution of an atriopulmonary anastomosis. The surgery consists on anastomosing the superior caval vein (end to side anastomoses), in a way that the venous blood is distributed to both the right and left lungs. Between January and February, 1992, 20 patients have undergone the bidirectional anastomosis at the Instituto Dante Pazzanese de Cardiologia. Eight patients were female. Their ages ranged from 5 months to 8 years (mean age 37.7 months) and their weights ranged from 6.3 to 18.8 kg (means 12.4 kg). The surgical indication was considered primary in 10 cases. There were 8 patients with tricuspid atresia and 3 double inlet ventricles with highly diminished pulmonary blood flow considered not ideal candidates to a complete rapair. The other patients were considered secundary surgical indication. They had previous palliative operations such as systemic pulmonary shunts; pulmonary banding and atrialseptectomy (6 with tricuspid atresia, 3 double inlet ventricle with pulmonary stenosis or banding and 1 double intlet right ventricle with superior inferior ventricle). The surgery was performed with direction of the caval vein to right atrium in 12 cases and by means of cardiopulmonary bypass in 8. During the operation, the patients were monitored with a pulsatile oximeter. The mean preoperative arterial oxygen saturation was 75.5% (range 71 % to 86%) and postoperative 95% (range 91 % to 98%). No hospital death occurred. There was one late death caused by pulmonary infection two months after the surgery. We believe that the bidirectional Glenn anastomosis has its place as a first stage to a complete correction, because it doesn't increase cardiac work and pulmonary vascular resistence and is not associated with pulmonary arterial and anastomotic distortions as Blalock-Taussig does.
Glenn bidirectional