Feasibility and safety of immediate perioperative implantation of intravascular stents in cavopulmonary pathways.

Fontan-type procedures are widely used for palliation of patients with many forms of a functional univentricular heart. An ideal Fontan circuit should be free of any distortion or stenosis. The use of stents for the treatment of stenotic and hypoplastic vessels is well established in pediatric cardiac practice. We report the successful use of endovascular stents during the immediate postoperative period in patients undergoing cavopulmonary anastomoses. Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.