Surgical treatment of interrupted aortic arch in infancy with expanded polytetrafluoroethylene grafts: two-year follow-up results.

ABSTRACT

The interrupted aortic arch complex is an uncommon but highly lethal combination of anomalies. Multiple approaches have been proposed for the surgical treatment of this complex. These include palliative procedures, direct anastomosis of the interrupted segments, interposition grafting with biological or synthetic conduits, and total correction by closure of the atrial and ventricular septal defects with anastomosis of the proximal and distal aortic segments. This communication reports the good clinical results, noted after 2 years of follow-up, in two consecutive patients with type B interrupted aortic arch who underwent operative repair of the interrupted arch with expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) grafts and palliative pulmonary artery banding.