Myocardial blood flow and flow reserve after coronary reimplantation in patients after arterial switch and Ross operation

Michael Hauser, Frank M. Bengel, Andreas Kühn, Ursula Sauer, Solvig Zylla, Siegmund L. Braun, Stephan G. Nekolla, Renate Oberhoffer, Rüdiger Lange, Markus Schwaiger, John Hess

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151 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background - Coronary reimplantation is used in therapy for congenital heart disease, such as in the arterial switch (ASO) and Ross operations. The adequacy of myocardial perfusion may remain a matter of concern. The aim of the present study was to stratify the effect of coronary reimplantation on myocardial perfusion and to highlight the clinical relevance of any attenuation in myocardial perfusion. Methods and Results - A total of 21 children with transposition of the great arteries at a mean interval of 11.2±2.9 years after ASO and 9 adolescents at a mean interval of 4.2±2.1 years after the Ross procedure were investigated. All patients were asymptomatic and had a normal exercise capacity. On stress echocardiography, 2 of the ASO patients had dyskinetic areas within the left ventricular myocardium, and 5 had adenosine-induced perfusion defects on positron emission tomography. No coronary obstruction was detected on coronary angiography in any patient, but a common finding was right coronary dominance and a small caliber of the distal part of the left anterior descending artery. Coronary flow reserve (CFR) was significantly reduced in all patients after ASO when compared with 10 normal healthy volunteers (age, 25.6±5.3 years). CFR was normal in the 9 patients who had the Ross operation (age, 19.2±7.6 years); exercise-induced perfusion defects were not detected in the Ross patients. Conclusions - Children after ASO are asymptomatic, without clinical signs of coronary dysfunction. In contrast to patients who had the Ross operation, stress-induced perfusion defects and an attenuated CFR were documented. The prognostic implications of these findings and the clinical consequences are unclear; nevertheless, close clinical follow-up of ASO patients is mandatory.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1875-1880
Number of pages6
JournalCirculation
Volume103
Issue number14
DOIs
StatePublished - 10 Apr 2001

Keywords

  • Arteries
  • Exercise
  • Imaging
  • Perfusion
  • Transposition of great vessels

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