Right Ventricular Outflow Reconstruction Using a Polytetrafluoroethylene Conduit With Bulging Sinuses and Tricuspid Fan-shaped Polytetrafluoroethylene Valve

Abstract

We developed an expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) valved conduit for use in right ventricular outflow tract reconstruction, a procedure used in various congenital heart diseases with decreased pulmonary blood flow, particularly Tetralogy of Fallot. The valve was designed with a fan-shaped configuration and consisted of a 0.1-mm-thick ePTFE membrane. To improve valve mobility, bulging sinuses were constructed in the conduit. The follow-up duration was 4.9 ± 3.4 years (maximum, 14.2 years), and the reoperation-free rates were 98.8% at 5 years and 93.8% at 10 years with large-caliber conduits (16-24 mm) and 89.9% at 5 years and 68.6% at 10 years with small-caliber conduits (6-16 mm), results superior to those seen with previous commercially available conduits and homograft. The incidence of infection caused by the ePTFE conduit was very low, at 0.3%. An ePTFE conduit with bulging sinuses and a fan-shaped valve made of an ePTFE membrane is useful for right ventricular outflow tract reconstruction.