Mid-term outcome with pericardial patch augmentation for redo left atrioventricular valve repair in atrioventricular septal defect†.

OBJECTIVES: Recurrent left atrioventricular valve (LAVV) regurgitation after atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD) repair is a difficult technical issue. This study exposes the various techniques successively employed to repair the recurrent LAVV regurgitation and their different outcomes. Emphasis however will be put on the new technique used in our unit called cleft patch augmentation, which has been used continuously since 1998 in the anatomical context of normal papillary muscles (NPMs).

METHODS: This is a retrospective follow-up study using a Cox regression model for risk analyses from November 1991 to July 2008, including 45 patients who underwent reoperation for LAVV regurgitation after AVSD repair. Of those, 3 patients were lost to follow-up; therefore, 42 patients were included in the study. With regard to the AVSD morphology, there were partial AVSD in 12, complete AVSD in 30.

RESULTS: Age at the primary valve repair was 1.5 ± 2.1 years and the time span to the reoperation was 7.1 years in median (0.41-12.3 years). Age at the first reoperation was 10.1 ± 6.8 years. Median follow-up after the reoperation was 7.4 years. Three patients died in the follow-up period. Freedom from second reoperation at 10 years was 72.8% [59.5-89.0% of 95% confidence interval (CI)]. Of 37 patients with NPMs, freedom from reoperation at 10 years was 59.4% (37.2-94.7% 95% CI) in cleft closure group whereas, in the cleft patch augmentation group, it was 92.3% (78.9-100% 95% CI) (P = 0.04). Five patients required valve replacement.

CONCLUSIONS: Surgical result for the redo LAVV repair had good outcomes. In the NPM group, the cleft patch augmentation technique had better results. Various techniques may have to be performed in combination according to the morphological features.