Novel approaches to improving the chemical safety of the meat chain towards toxicants.

In addition to microbiological issues, meat chemical safety is a growing concern for the public authorities, chain stakeholders and consumers. Meat may be contaminated by various chemical toxicants originating from the environment, treatments of agricultural production or food processing. Generally found at trace levels in meat, these toxicants may harm human health during chronic exposure. This paper overviews the key issues to be considered to ensure better control of their occurrence in meat and assessment of the related health risk. We first describe potential contaminants of meat products. Strategies to move towards a more efficient and systematic control of meat chemical safety are then presented in a second part, with a focus on emerging approaches based on toxicogenomics. The third part presents mitigation strategies to limit the impact of process-induced toxicants in meat. Finally, the last part introduces methodological advances to refine chemical risk assessment related to the occurrence of toxicants in meat by quantifying the influence of digestion on the fraction of food contaminants that may be assimilated by the human body.

European Contegra multicentre study: 7-year results after 165 valved bovine jugular vein graft implantations.

OBJECTIVE: The valved bovine conduit "Contegra" for RVOT reconstruction became available for clinical use within a 100 % source data monitored and echo core lab controlled prospective European Multicentre Study, carried out from 1999 to 2006. We present the results of this study. METHODS: A total of 165 Contegras were implanted in 8 centres. The mean patient age was 3.9 years (2 days - 18 years, median 2.0). Total follow-up was 687 patient years. Diagnoses included: tetralogy of Fallot (64 patients, 39 %), truncus arteriosus (50, 30 %), double outlet right ventricle (16, 10 %), aortic valve disease/Ross procedure (11, 7 %), pulmonary valve atresia (10, 6 %), transposition of the great arteries (10, 6 %), 4 other malformations (2 %). Previous procedures were: 82 patients (50 %) - none; 37 (22 %) - valved conduit implantation; 14 (8 %) aortopulmonary shunt; 6 (4 %) catheter intervention. Follow-up appointments which included standardised echocardiography investigations were scheduled at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months, then annually. We evaluated freedom from death, explantation, intervention, stenosis, insufficiency, and degeneration. Results were stratified by age, diagnosis group and conduit size. RESULTS: The 5-year freedom-from rates were: explantation - 90 % (for patients aged 1 to 10 years) and 68 % (for younger patients); endocarditis - over 92 %; catheter intervention - 74 % (patients with congenital malformations); stenosis - 75 % and more (any group); insufficiency - 50 % (12 and 14 mm diameter conduits); any event - 13 % (patients under 1 year), 58 % (1 to 10 years), 82 % (> 10 years). Trace or mild insufficiency was a frequent, but not progressive finding. Mild calcification was detected in only 8 examinations. CONCLUSIONS: The performance of the Contegra conduit compares well with that of homografts when used to reconstruct paediatric right ventricular outflow tracts.

[Surgical repair of atrial septal defect in 1011 consecutive patients]. / Traitement chirurgical des communications interauriculaires chez 1011 patients consécutifs. Incidence des complications postopératoires précoces.

The immediate postoperative complications of 1011 consecutive patients undergoing surgical repair of atrial septal defects between 1980 and 1998 at Marie Lannelongue Hospital were analysedwith the ultimate objective of comparing their incidence with that of percutaneous closure. Five patients died (0.49%) of low cardiac output (N=3), pulmonary oedema (N=1) or pulmonary hypertension (N=1). A total of 356 patients (35.2%) had 448 postoperative complications. There were 77% minor and 23% major complications. The minor complications included arrhythmias and conduction defects (N=130), respiratory complications (N=90) and pericardial effusions (N=64). The main major complications were cardiac failure (N=27), cardiac tamponade (N=13), neurological complications (N=8) and reoperation (N=28). Of the survivors, 95.6% of patients were discharged from hospital with no residual problem and 41 (4.4%) had sequellae: arrhythmias (N=29, including one pacemaker implantation), neurological complications (N=4), acquired mitral regurgitation (N=2), phrenic nerve paralysis (N=1) and minimal residual shunt (N=10). Factors correlated with surgical morbidity were age, the severity of pulmonary hypertension, the type of atrial septal defect (less morbidity with ostium secundum defects), the presence of associated malformations, the surgical approach (less morbidity with the right postero-lateral thoracic approach). This study demonstrated the incompressible risk of open heart cardiac surgery. It will form a basis for a comparative study of the two modern methods of treating atrial septal defect: surgical and percutaneous closure.

Additional pulmonary blood flow has no adverse effect on outcome after TCPC.

BACKGROUND: Use of additional sources of pulmonary blood flow (APBF) with bidirectional cavopulmonary anastomosis (BDG) and total cavopulmonary connection (TCPC) remains controversial. We have therefore assessed the effects of APBF on BDG and TCPC outcome. METHODS: From 1996 to 2000, 106 patients underwent BDG, either isolated (group 1, n = 54), or with APBF via pulmonary artery (PA) (group 2, n = 30), or Blalock-Taussig shunt (BTS) (group 3, n = 22) with 28 patients completed by TCPC. RESULTS: After BDG low output syndrome was more frequent in group 2 and less in 3 ( p = 0.01), whereas superior cava syndrome was again more common in group 2 and less in groups 1 and 3 ( p < 0.05) than expected. Mortality and complications were similar after TCPC in all groups. Oxygen saturation (SaO (2)) was lower without than with APBF ( p < 0.002) after BDG and in group 3 than in group 2 after TCPC ( p < 0.05). Repeated measures ANOVA showed no effect of APBF on SaO (2), PA pressures, fractional shortening, end-diastolic pressure and AV-valve function. CONCLUSIONS: Early after BDG, APBF via PA presents different difficulties than APBF via BTS. However, BDG and TCPC outcomes are not affected by the presence or absence of APBF.

[A rare form of aortic arch anomaly: left aortic and right descending aortic arch]. / Une forme rare d'anomalie des arcs aortiques: crosse aortique gauche et aorte descendante droite.

Among aortic arch anomalies, the circumflex aortic variety, involving left aortic and right descending aortic arch, is a rare situation. Two children were recently sent to the CCML for signs of tracheobronchial compression leading to the discovery of this anomaly. The younger child, aged 2 months, had been intubated since birth, and angiography presented a constrictive form of the disorder due to the presence of a small arterial canal linking the pulmonary tree to an aberrant right subclavian artery arising from a voluminous Kommerel diverticulum. Removal of the obstacle was achieved by section of the arterial channel approached via a right posterior thoracotomy. The second patient, aged 7 years, had chronic bronchopneumonia with severe obstructive syndrome. Multislice CT investigation with three-dimensional reconstruction showed obstruction at two levels: the first concerned the lower part of the trachea related to the posterior transverse segment of the aortic arch; the more severe second obstruction was due to a vascular pinch formed by the descending aorta and the right pulmonary artery. Improvement in functional signs with time reported by the parents had led to temporisation in this case. In adults this anomaly is often a fortuitous finding during radiological investigations performed for slight functional signs. In all cases of aortic anomalies and associated lesions, the importance of precise and thorough investigation using modern radiological techniques must be stressed.

Coronary events after arterial switch operation for transposition of the great arteries.

BACKGROUND: Transfer of the coronary arteries is a crucial step during the arterial switch operation (ASO) for transposition of the great arteries. This retrospective study aims to assess the incidence and risk factors of coronary events after ASO and sensitivity of noninvasive tests in the diagnosis of the coronary obstruction. METHODS AND RESULTS: Between 1982 and 2001, 1304 newborn and infants had an ASO and the 1 198 hospital survivors had a 59-month mean follow-up. Coronary events occurred in 94 patients (7.2%; 95% CI, 6 to 9). Survival without coronary events were 92.7, 91, and 88.2% at 1, 10, and 15 years, respectively. The incidence was bimodal: high early and slow later. Multivariate analysis showed correlation with type B or C coronary pattern and major operative events (P<0.0001 and P=0.0024). In a subset of 324 patients who underwent a coronary artery angiography, lesions were observed in 22 patients (6.8%; 95% CI, 5 to 10). Multivariate analysis showed correlation with only type B or C coronary pattern (OR=20.8, P=0.0002). All of these patients had electrocardiogram and echocardiogram, 174 patients also had a treadmill test, and 115 patients had a myocardial scintigraphy. The association of these tests had the highest diagnosis sensitivity, 75%. CONCLUSIONS: After ASO, coronary events are not rare, occurring most often early and are an important cause of death. Coronary repair can be needed lately. Noninvasive tests are not sensitive enough to detect significant delayed coronary artery stenosis and coronary artery angiography should be performed.

[Prevalence and diagnosis of coronary lesions after arterial switch]. / Prévalence et dépistage des lésions coronaires après switch artériel.

In anatomical repair procedure of transposition of the great arteries (arterial switch), translocation of the coronary arteries is crucial and coronary complications remain the principal cause of death. The aim of this retrospective study was to assess the prevalence of coronary lesions and to evaluate the diagnostic methods to prevent their consequences. From 1982 to 2001, 1,304 patients were operated for transposition of the great arteries by the switch procedure at the Marie Lannelongue Surgical Centre. The average follow-up of the survivors was 59 months (3 days to 17 years) during which 324 patients underwent coronary angiography. All had an ECG and an echocardiogram (N = 324); 174 underwent exercise stress testing and 115 had myocardial scintigraphy. Of the 324 patients who underwent coronary angiography, 22 had coronary lesions (6.8%; 95% CI 5-10). In multivariate analysis a type II coronary network by the Marie Lannelongue Classification was related to the risk of coronary lesions (OR = 0.28; p < 0.0002). Each non-invasive method studied separately had a low sensitivity (< 50%) for the detection of these lesions. The association of ECG, echocardiography and myocardial scintigraphy had the best sensitivity at 75%. Therefore, after the arterial switch procedure non-invasive investigations are not sensitive enough to diagnose coronary lesions and systematic coronary angiography and aortography should be performed in all patients.

[Neonatal cardiac transplantation. Long-term results]. / Transplantation cardiaque néonatale. Résultats à long terme.

The pioneering work of Bailey since 1985 has made cardiac transplantation an effective treatment of left heart hypoplasia in the neonatal period. At the Marie-Lannelongue surgical centre, 5 neonates with hypoplastic left hearts or an equivalent cardiac malformation, underwent cardiac transplantation between 1993 and 1998. There were no operative deaths. At the end of the follow-up, all children were treated with cyclosporine, without steroids. One child died of a secondary acute rejection resistant to treatment 7 years after the transplantation, 1 has a severe coronary problem 13 years after the transplantation, and three children (including the diseased child) have psychomotor development abnormalities. These results and those of the literature together with the psychological problems encountered by the children and their families, do not incite in the pursuit of the neonatal transplantation program until the introduction of new drugs for the treatment of chronic rejection which should prevent the programmed death of these children.

[Surgical treatment ot congenital heart disease]. / Traitement chirurgical des cardiopathies congénitales.

Congenital heart disease is a heterogeneous group of intra- and extra-cardiac abnormalities of very variable prognosis, which have been classified according to their structural and functional consequences. The functional abnormalities are mainly centered on variations of pulmonary arterial flow that can generally be managed by simple palliative procedures. The extra-cardiac abnormalities affect preferentially the aorta. They may be embryonic vascular remnants responsible for tracheo-bronchial compression or obstructive lesions which are amenable to different types of vascular reconstruction procedures. These anomalies may be isolated or form part of a more complex malformative syndrome. Complete repair may be possible using techniques adapted to the main structural abnormalities of the cardiac architecture: reconstruction of the atrial or ventricular septa, restoration of the ventricular outflow tracts and redirection of blood flow within the atria. Among the therapeutic motivations developed for complete repair over the last decade, reconstruction of the pulmonary arteries by unifocalisation and Ross' procedure for left ventricular outflow tract abnormalities deserve special mention; in addition, a major therapeutic principle has been established for repair of ventriculoatrial malposition and discordance: the re-connection of the aorta with the left ventricle.

[Three-dimensional multislice CT scanner: value in patients with pulmonary atresia with septal defect]. / Scanner multidétecteur tridimensionnel: intérêt chez les patients atteints d'atrésie pulmonaire à septum ouvert.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the interest of multislice CT scanning using three-dimensional reconstructions for pre- or postoperative management of patients with pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect. Twenty-one consecutive patients (median age: 8 months, median weight: 5.6 kg) with pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect were explored by multislice CT. Standard protocol consisted in one helical thoracic acquisition, associated with an injection of 2 to 3 mL/kg of iodinated contrast medium at a flow rate from 0.5 to 1 mL/s. Three-dimensionnal reconstructions were systematically performed. Before operation, status and size of central pulmonary arteries, major aorto-pulmonary collateral arteries, and associated anomalies were analyzed. In 13 operated patients, the permeability of palliative anastomosis and postoperative anatomical changes were studied. The status of central pulmonary arteries was assessed in all cases and the sizes found were in agreement to surgical findings. Main aorto-pulmonary collateral arteries were depicted and their relative position to central airways was assessed. Various associated anomalies were found: right aortic arch, anomalous coronary artery, abnormal pulmonary venous return, left superior vena cava. The anastomosis and the surgical connections (unifocalization, complete repair) were clearly analyzed. The multislice CT with three-dimensional reconstructions is a complementary imaging technique, reliable, useful to pre-operative management and postoperative follow-up of patients with pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect.

[Interarterial and intramural coronary trajectoris: anatomic aspects and surgical implications]. / Trajets coronaires interartériel et intramural: aspects anatomiques et implications chirurgicales.

Among the coronary trajectory anomalies found not only in congenital cardiopathies but also in otherwise normal hearts, the terms intramural and interarterial are still used in an ambiguous fashion too frequently. Study of the embryonic development of the coronaries allows a better understanding of the possibility of such a trajectory, (existence of the periarterial sheath). Certain anatomical factors favour the existence of an intramural coronary trajectory, the coronary always being tangential to the aorta in this case: paracommissural ostium, ostium situated too high, departure of the coronary at an acute angle, and ostium in the form of a slit. However, interarterial and intramural are not synonyms. In the case of a coronary trajectory tangential to the aorta, three anatomical and histological situations are possible: free trajectory, with the aorta and the coronary each having its own media and its own adventitia; adherent trajectory, with two separate media covered by a common adventitia: and true intramural trajectory, with fusion of the media without interposition of adventitia. These three situations have different surgical implications in the case of coronary reposition.

Fibroma and inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor of the heart.

Cardiac fibroma and inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) of the heart are rare lesions occurring in young patients and having pathologic similarities. We compared the morphologic and immunohistochemical features of seven cardiac fibromas, including one biopsied at birth and removed 4 years later, and two IMTs of the heart diagnosed at Marie Lannelongue Surgical Center (Le Plessis Robinson, France) between 1980 and 1999. Cardiac fibromas occurred in five females and two males and were surgically biopsied (n = 2) or removed (n = 6) between the ages of 8 days to 31 years (mean 7 +/- 12 years). Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors were removed in two male patients, aged 13 weeks and 1 year, both alive and well 9 months and 5 years after surgery, respectively. Fibromas were ventricular lesions measuring 3 to 10 cm (mean, 5.7 +/- 2.2 cm). They contained entrapped myocytes and wavy elastic fibers. Three cases contained calcifications. Spindle cells were monomorphic. Their nucleus had a thin chromatin without nucleolus. Mitoses and extramedullary hematopoiesis were only observed in fibromas from patients younger than 5 months (n = 5) while prominent collagen fibrosis was present in fibromas from patients older than 4 years (n = 3). Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors were endocardial lesions measuring 2 and 2.5 cm. They were covered by fibrin. Spindle cells were larger than in fibromas. Their nucleus had obvious nucleoli. They were associated with numerous inflammatory cells in a variable amount of myxoid background. Occasional mitoses and foci of necrosis were present. Spindle cells in both fibromas and IMTs strongly expressed smooth-muscle actin and were negative for desmin, CD34, S-100 protein, and p53. Our study shows that IMT must be considered in the differential diagnosis of cardiac fibroma especially in cases of inflammatory syndrome, location outside the ventricular myocardium, or multinodular lesions. Morphologic analysis permits the correct diagnosis, while immunochemistry shows a myofibroblastic differentiation in both lesions.

Biventricular repair of transposition of the great arteries and unbalanced ventricles.

BACKGROUND: It is well established that the arterial switch operation is the surgical procedure of choice in patients with transposition of the great arteries and balanced ventricular anatomy. The surgical approach of choice in patients with transposition but unbalanced ventricular size is unknown. OBJECTIVES: Since the beginning of the arterial switch operation program, patients with transposition of the great arteries and unbalanced ventricles underwent biventricular repair by means of the arterial switch operation and repair of any associated lesions, either through a single or staged surgical procedure. The aim of this retrospective study is to analyze whether this approach can be proposed to such patients. METHODS: Forty-four patients with transposition of the great arteries and unbalanced ventricles underwent this surgical approach since 1984. Two groups were defined: group I had transposition with a dominant right ventricle (n = 28), and group II had transposition with a dominant left ventricle (n = 16). In group I the median age and weight at the arterial switch operation were 8.5 days (range, 5-70 days) and 3.1 kg (range, 1.5-3.7 kg), respectively. The median end-diastolic left ventricular volume, mass, and long-axis ratio were 15 mL/m2 (range, 11-16 mL/m2), 31.5 g/m2 (range, 20-66 g/m2), and 0.85 (range, 0.9-0.7), respectively. The mitral valve diameter was slightly hypoplastic, with a median z value of -1.22 (range, -0.3 to 3.7). In group 2 the median age and weight at the arterial switch operation were 42 days (range, 8 days-15 years) and 3.5 kg (range, 2.8-35 kg), respectively. Associated lesions in this group were coarctation in 9 and single (n = 12) or multiple (n = 4) ventricular septal defects. The median long-axis ratio and tricuspid z value were 0.6 (range, 0.3-0.8) and -0.9 (range, -0.5 to 3.3), respectively. In this group 9 patients had a single-stage procedure with fenestrated ventricular defect patches, atrial septal defect patches, or both; 7 patients underwent the staged approach. RESULTS: In group I there was 1 early death from sepsis after weaning from postoperative extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Three patients had severe pulmonary hypertension, one of whom died 1 year later. All survivors demonstrated, at discharge from the hospital, equilibrated ventricular size, with a median left ventricular end-diastolic volume of 25 mL/m2 (range, 21-30 mL/m2). In group II there were 2 early and 1 late deaths. All early deaths occurred in patients without voluntary residual intracardiac shunts. Median early postoperative long-axis ratio and tricuspid z value were 0.8 (range, 0.7-1) and -0.2 (range, 0.74 to 1.2), respectively. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that the arterial switch operation in patients with transposition of the great arteries and unbalanced ventricles remains a good surgical option.

Surgical management and indication of left ventricular retraining in arterial switch for transposition of the great arteries with intact ventricular septum.

OBJECTIVE: Arterial switch is the operation of reference for the surgical treatment of transposition of the great arteries. In cases of late referral, perinatal complications or early left ventricular (LV) dysfunction, the one stage arterial switch is contra indicated. Anatomical repair remains possible in these patients following a LV retraining. METHODS: From January 1992 to January 2000, a LV retraining was attempted in 22 patients with transposition of the great arteries with intact ventricular septum (TGA IVS), whereas 470 direct arterial switch and 2 Senning were performed. Indication for LV retraining was based on a combination of factors including: an age older than 3 weeks, a "banana shape" aspect of the inter-ventricular septum and mainly a LV mass <35G/m(2). RESULTS: The mean age at LV retraining was 3.2 months ranging from 9 days to 8 months. Usually conducted by sterntomy, it associated a loose PA banding with a LV/RV at 65% with a systemico-pulmonary shunt. The first stage was associated with frequent LV dysfunction and the LV retraining was discontinued in two patients in favor of one Senning and one early switch followed by ECMO. One patient died at first stage from a mediastinitis. Nineteen patients underwent a second stage arterial switch that was performed when the LV mass had reached 50 G/m(2) after a mean delay of 10 days, ranging from 5 days to 6 weeks. After a mean follow up of 25 months, there was one non-cardiac late death. The 17 patients followed and leaving with an arterial switch are in NYHA class I, with a mean LV shortening fraction of 39%. CONCLUSIONS: Arterial switch following LV retraining in TGA IVS is a satisfactory option. The inferior limit of 35 G/m(2) adopted, to indicate LV retraining, seems a safe landmark. The quality of the myocardium generated and the respective roles played by the LV afterload, LV wall shear stress, LV inflow and outflow to induce the LV remodeling remain under debate.

Late outcome after arterial switch operation for transposition of the great arteries.

BACKGROUND: Early and midterm results of the arterial switch operation (ASO) in transposition of the great arteries (TGA) are good, but late outcome data in large populations are still few. METHODS AND RESULTS: Twelve hundred patients had an ASO for TGA between 1982 and 1999, with prospective follow-up of 1095 survivors. Outcome measures included late death, reoperation, aortic insufficiency (AI), pulmonary stenosis (PS), and coronary anomaly. Median follow-up was 4.9 years (range 0.5 to 17 years). Late death occurred in 32 patients; survival was 88% at both 10 and 15 years. The hazard function for death declined rapidly, with no deaths after 5 years. Late mortality was correlated with reintervention and major events in the intensive care unit. Reoperation was performed in 103 patients, more often in complex TGA; the cause was mainly PS. Freedom from reintervention was 82% at 10 and 15 years, with a hazard function that declined rapidly but slowly increased after 3 years. At the last follow-up, PS was present in 3.9% of patients, and grade II or more AI was present in 3.2%, with a cumulative incidence of 9% at 15 years. Among the 278 patients who had a coronary arteriography, 8% had coronary lesions. Normal left ventricle and sinus rhythm were seen in 96.4% and 98.1%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Fifteen years after ASO, late mortality was low, with no deaths after 5 years; reoperation, mainly owing to PS, occurred throughout the follow-up. AI and coronary obstruction are rare but warrant further follow-up. Good left ventricular function and sinus rhythm are maintained.

[Enlarging angioplasty of the aortic arch with an pulmonary artery autograft patch. Interest in a single-stage repair of the syndrome of coarctation and interruption of the aortic arch]. / Angioplastie d'agrandissement de la crosse aortique par un patch d'autogreffe pulmonaire. Intérêt dans la réparation en un temps des syndromes de coarctation et interruption de l'arche aortique.

Single stage repair of syndromes of coarctation and interruption of the aortic arch is a routine procedure in many surgical centres with good immediate results. The classical technique of aortic repair is based on the principles of Crafoord's extended resection anastomosis. Recoarctation is not an unusual long-term complication. A technique of enlarging angioplasty of the aorta using a patch of pulmonary artery has been developed and used in 22 neonates with obstruction of the aortic arch associated with ventricular septal defect with an average age and body weight of 15 days and 2.9 Kg respectively. The ventricular septal defect was closed surgically during the same procedure. Total circulatory arrest was not used in these children and all had aortic repairs with selective cerebral perfusion with moderate hypothermia (28-30 degrees C). This technique was used without any procedure-related early morbidity. No early or late deaths were observed in this series. Two patients were reoperated during the first year after the initial procedure: one for residual ventricular septal defect and the other for supraventricular pulmonary stenosis. Two patients, one of whom was reoperated, developed supraventricular pulmonary stenosis with a gradient of over 60 mmHg. These stenoses were observed in the first cases operated and were essentially due to the technique of pulmonary artery reconstruction. Over a median follow-up period of 10 months, no recoarctations were observed: the Doppler ultrasound study showed an isolated mean systolic gradient of 6 +/- 12 mmHg. The authors conclude that angioplasty of the aortic arch with an enlarging patch of pulmonary artery autograft during single stage surgery of syndromes of coarctation and interruption of the aortic arch provides a harmonious and durable repair of the aortic arch.

[Ross mitral procedure for massive congenital mitral insufficiency]. / Intervention de Ross mitral pour une insuffisance mitrale massive congénitale.

The authors report the case of a 4 month old North African baby with massive congenital mitral insufficiency associated with a coarctation of the aorta. The surgical treatment consisted in correction of the coarctation followed, several days later, by a Ross mitral procedure after failure of mitral reconstructive surgery. The postoperative course required circulatory assistance for 4 days and the child returned to his family two months after surgery. Control echocardiography before hospital discharge showed good function of the pulmonary autograft in the mitral position with no regurgitation but slight stenosis with a mean transvalvular pressure gradient of 4 mmHg. This procedure may be used in certain cases as an alternative to mitral valve replacement.

Long-term results after valvotomy for congenital aortic valvar stenosis in children.

As interest increase in the Ross procedure performed as a therapeutic option for children with congenital aortic valvar stenosis, it becomes increasinly important to know the late results of aortic valvotomy in this population. We have therefore examined retrospectively the medical records of 121 consecutives survivors undergoing aortic valvotomy before 10 years of age between 1974 and 1992. The mean age at the first valvotomy was 29 months, with a range from 3 days to 10 years. The mean duration of follow up was 9.4 years, with a range from 1.6 to 22 years. Fifteen patients (12.3%; 70% CL: 10-16) died: 9 following reoperation, and 6 late after surgery. Death was related to the hearts in 86% of cases. The actuarial survival rate was 79% (70% CL: 72/84) at 10 years. Young age at the first valvotomy, and the number of procedures, emerged as risk factors of secondary mortality. Reoperations on the aortic valve, 73 in all, were required in 56 patients. The second procedure was done after a mean interval of 6 years, with a range from 1 day to 18 years. This was for restenosis in three-quarters of the cases. The aortic valve was replaced in 30 patients, at a mean of 9 years, and with a range from 9 months to 18 years, after the first procedure. The survival without replacement at 20 years was 29% (70% CL: 15-49). No factor was identified with a relationship either to reoperation or valvar replacement. Long term results after aortic valvotomy, therefore, show a high late mortality, frequent reinterventions, and an almost inescapable eventual need for valvar replacement. The ongoing use of the Ross operation is justified, even if longterm studies in children are still needed to validate its use.