Resumen

KREUTZER, Guilermo o. Evolutionary Process of the Fontan-Kreutzer Procedure. Rev. argent. cardiol. [online]. 2011, vol.79, n.1, pp.47-54. ISSN 1850-3748.

The evolutionary process that led to the development of the Fontan-Kreutzer (FK) procedure was determined by the evolution in thought in pediatric cardiology since the pioneer Dr. Rodolfo O. Kreutzer created the department of cardiology, with the help of Dr. Alberto Rodríguez Coronel in the catheterization laboratory and Dr. Luis Becú in charge of department of anatomic pathology. The first atriopulmonary anastomosis (APA) was performed in our environment ignoring that Fontan had described his procedure, that consisted of "ventricularization" of the right atrium (RA) inserting a valve in inferior vena cava (IVC) inlet. Our technique was different and based on the concept that end-diastolic pressure of the main ventricular chamber is the power source necessary to serve the pulmonary circulation. We introduced a valve in the IVC and developed the concept of atrial baffle fenestration. In 1971 we described two techniques of APA (one using a homograft and the other with the patient's own pulmonary artery), and in 1978 we developed a largest, posterior, nonvalved direct APA. Since 1987, new and improved techniques have been developed: lateral tunnel (LT) and extracardiac conduit (EC), which minimize kinetic energy loss as opposed to the RA, a volume chamber. Evidently, the FK procedure is the best option to treat single ventricle (SV); yet life with a SV is not easy. Many patients evolve with progressive impairment of the system due to chronic low volume, increased central venous pressure and edema. However, these abnormalities are not present in all cases, as demonstrated by the longest-lived survivor of the world after 35 years of follow-up. Indeed, the FK procedure is a palliative surgical procedure and one of the achievements in congenital heart surgery.

Palabras clave : Single Ventricle; Fontan-Kreutzer Procedure.

        · resumen en Español     · texto en Español     · Español ( pdf ) | Inglés ( pdf )