The predictability of the degree of right ventricular hypertension after correction of the tetralogy of Fallot

The validity of an equation which, on the basis of various angiocardiographic measurements allows prediction of the post-repair ratio between the systolic pressures in the right and the left ventricle is retrospectively tested in a series of 46 patients with the "classical" form of tetralogy of Fallot. If the right and left pulmonary arteries are "restrictive", the equation was found to be reliable in such a prediction, provided a negligible gradient is left at the pulmonary anulus level. The implications of the use of this equation on surgical management of patients with tetralogy of Fallot are discussed.