Relationship of pulmonary artery size to mortality in patients undergoing the Fontan operation.

The size of the pulmonary arteries, measured intraoperatively, was correlated with operative mortality in 90 patients who underwent the Fontan operation. There was no significant difference in the cross-sectional area of the right and left pulmonary arteries/body surface area (PA index) between survivors and nonsurvivors. There was no significant difference in mortality rates between patients with a PA index greater than 250 and those with a PA index less than 250 mm2/m2. Survival was observed with cross-sectional area as low as 188 mm2/m2.