Sutureless Versus Conventional Pulmonary Vein Repair: A Magnetic Resonance Pilot Study

Background: Two different surgical techniques are used to repair anomalous pulmonary venous connection or pulmonary vein (PV) stenosis: the classic repair (CR) and the sutureless repair (SR). The purpose of this study was to compare the prevalence of PV stenosis between the two surgical approaches. Methods: Patients were prospectively recruited irrespective of symptoms or previous imaging findings. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and echocardiography were performed in a blinded fashion on the same day. Results: Twenty-five patients (13 male) after PV repair completed the study. Twelve patients had undergone CR and 13 SR (in 1 patient as a reoperation after CR). The median age at operation was 2 months (range: 1 day to 5 years) and was similar for both groups; the median age at the time of cardiac magnetic resonance was 9 years (range: 6 to 17 years) and 9 years (range: 6 to 14 years) for the CR and SR, respectively. Four patients had PV stenosis. All 4 patients had had total anomalous pulmonary venous connection, 1 patient had undergone repair with the CR and 2 with a primary SR; 1 patient had first undergone a CR, followed by a SR for stenosis. Echocardiography provided complete visualization of all PVs in only 11 patients (44%). Notable stenosis of at least one PV was missed by echocardiography in 2 patients. Conclusions: This pilot study indicates that not only CR but also SR may be burdened by a risk of postoperative PV stenosis. Magnetic resonance imaging should be used routinely for the postoperative monitoring for the development of PV obstruction.