Hemodynamic and electrocardiographic effects of early pulmonary valve replacement in pediatric patients after transannular complete repair of tetralogy of Fallot

In adults, pulmonary value replacement (PVR) shows improvement in right ventricular (RV) volume and function and reduces QRS duration. In addition, RV volume correlates with QRS duration and QRS change. This has not been shown in pediatric patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate serial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and electrocardiogram measurements before and after early PVR in a pediatric population with repaired Tetralogy of Fallot and whether QRS duration and QRS change correlated with RV volume. A retrospective review of MRIs and electrocardiograms was conducted on 10 patients. Median age at repair was 2.1 +/- 0.7 years, and median age at PVR was 11.5 +/- 2.0 years. There were significant decreases in RV end diastolic volume (EDV)/body surface area (BSA) (p < 0.0004), end systolic volume (ESV)/BSA (p = 0.02), RVEDV/left ventricular (LV) EDV (p < 0.001), RV ejection fraction (p < 0.04), RV stroke volume (SV)/BSA (p < 0.0002), and (RVSV - LVSV)/BSA (p = 0.0007). No significant change in QRS duration occurred (p = 0.08). QRS duration (pre-r = 0.44, p = 0.20; post-r = 0.34, p = 0.33) and QRS change (r = -0.08, p = 0.83) did not correlate with RVEDV. We propose early consideration of PVR in pediatric patients. PVR improves RV volumes and function and may provide beneficial electromechanical effects by slowing the progression of QRS duration.