Neurological Sequelae of Congenital Heart Surgery

Abstract

The development of surgical treatment for certain types of congenital heart disease not only has resulted in a number of neurological complications but has also emphasized the frequency with which such disease is associated with cerebral lesions. In the past several years we have seen a number of neurological sequelae of cardiac surgery, and the difficulties in diagnosis and management of these cases have led us to consider them in some detail in an attempt to define the responsible factors. In this series preoperative neurological disturbance was present in only 14 of the 342 cases. The low incidence is related to the type of cardiac lesions seen (the majority being septal defects) and to the fact that, in the group selected, operation was considered to have a reasonable chance of success. Of these, 6 had the tetralogy of Fallot, 2 with episodic attacks of loss of consciousness, 1 with mental