Pediatr Cardiol. 2017 Jul 24. doi: 10.1007/s00246-017-1695-5. [Epub ahead of
print]

Li J, Luo S, Liu F, An Q

Debate on the proper timing of pulmonary valve replacement (PVR) after repair of
tetralogy of Fallot is still continuing. We aim to clarify how the different
components of right ventricle (RV) changed with relieved volume overload in the
remodeling process after pulmonary valve replacement and gain a clear idea of the
relationship between different right ventricle components function and exercise
capacity after PVR in these patients. The medical records and results of cardiac
magnetic resonance imaging and cardiopulmonary exercise testing of 25 consecutive
eligible patients were reviewed. End-diastolic, end-systolic, and ejection
fraction (EF) were determined for the total RV and its components before and
after PVR. There was a marked increase in EF for the outlet after PVR
(39.5 ± 11.4 vs. 45.6 ± 12.7, P = 0.04); however, EF and volume change for the
other components showed no significant difference. Peak oxygen consumption (VO2)
correlated better with the RV outflow tract EF than with the EF of other
components of the RV or the global EF (r = 0.382, P = 0.018), and the time
interval between initial repair and PVR showed a significant correlation with
peak VO2 (r = -0.339, P = 0.037). Multivariate analysis showed the RV outflow
tract EF to be the only independent predictor of exercise capacity (β = 0.479;
P = 0.046). The systolic function of the RV outflow tract could be a reliable
determinant of intrinsic RV performance in repaired TOF (rTOF) patients and a
promising parameter for deciding timing of pulmonary valve replacement so as to
achieve the best possible exercise capacity in repaired TOF patients..