Published Online
on March 25, 2009

A more recent version of this article appeared on May 1, 2009

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Original Article

Aortopulmonary collaterals after bidirectional cavopulmonary connection or Fontan completion: Quantification with magnetic resonance imaging

Lars Grosse-Wortmann; Abdul-Majeed Al-Otay and Shi-Joon Yoo¹

The Hospital for Sick Children, The University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

¹ E-mail: shi-joon.yoo{at}sickkids.ca

Background—Aortopulmonary collaterals (APCs) have been associated with increased morbidity after the Fontan operation. We aimed to quantify APC flow after bidirectional cavopulmonary connections (BCPC) and Fontan completions, using phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and to identify risk factors for the development of APCs.

Methods and Results—APC blood flow was quantifiable in 24 out of 36 retrospectively analyzed MRI studies. 16 studies were performed after the BCPC (group A) and 8 after the Fontan operation (group B). APC blood flow was calculated by subtracting the blood flow volume through the pulmonary arteries from that through the pulmonary veins. The ratio of pulmonary to systemic blood flow (Qp/Qs) was 0.93±0.26 in group A and 1.27±0.16 in group B. APC flow was 1.42 (0.58–3.83) l/min/m² and 0.82 (0.50–1.81) l/min/m² in groups A and B, respectively. The mean inaccuracies corresponded to 7.9±14.5 % and 7.1±13.6 % of ascending aortic flow in groups A and B, respectively. Qp/Qs was negatively correlated with a younger age at the time of the BCPC operation (r = 0.62, p=0.01) and positively correlated with the age at the time of the Fontan completion (r = 0.81, p=0.01). Patients with a previous right-sided modified Blalock-Taussig shunt had more collateral flow to the right lung than those without.

Conclusions—APC blood flow can be and non-invasively measured in BCPC and Fontan patients, using MRI in the majority of patients and results in a significant left-to-right shunt.

Key Words: collateral circulation • Fontan procedure • magnetic resonance imaging • aortopulmonary collaterals • single ventricle

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