Surgical management of tetralogy of Fallot

Abstract

ABSTRACT A 3½‐month‐old female Wirehaired Fox Terrier was referred for diagnosis and treatment of a congenital heart disease. Examination revealed a pan‐systolic murmur and cyanotic mucous membranes. A tentative diagnosis of tetralogy of Fallot was confirmed by radiographs, ECG, cardiac catheteriza‐tion, and angiograms. End‐to‐side anastomosis of the left subclavian artery to the pulmonary artery (the palliative Blalock shunt), performed when the patient was 7 months old, provided remission of the clinical signs for 1 ½ years. Physical stress then recurred and the animal died. Post‐mortem examination revealed the classic anatomy of tetralogy of Fallot and evidence that the Blalock shunt, which had remained patent for 1½ years, had closed, causing the death of the animal.