Preservation of the Pulmonary Valve During Early Repair of Tetralogy of Fallot: Surgical Techniques

During the last decade interest in preserving pulmonary valve (PV) function has stimulated a few surgeons to apply valve-sparing techniques in repairing tetralogy of Fallot (TOF), with the aim of preserving long-term right ventricular function. Since June 2007, we embarked upon a program for preserving PV function in selected patients during TOF repair. More recently, the introduction of more complex PV plasty techniques allowed us to further extend the applicability of PV preservation techniques. We believe that preservation of PV function during early repair of TOF, by combining different intraoperative surgical maneuvers, can be extended to almost all patients with classic TOF.