Surgical repair of aortico-left ventricular tunnel in a 7-day-old child.

A 7-day-old girl was successfully operated on for aortico--left ventricular tunnel. She seems to have been the youngest patient with successful repair of the malformation. The case was the second of its type operated on at the Karolinska Hospital. Severe congestive heart failure is usually an early occurrence in aortico--left ventricular tunnel. The high mortality rate without operation illustrates the importance of early diagnosis and surgery. A patch closure technique is recommended as permitting optimum function of the aortic valve.