Intra- or extracardiac Fontan operation? A simple strategy when to do what.

Introduction: The complete Fontan circulation is the definite palliation for many complex congenital cardiac lesions. After bi-directional Glenn anastomosis (BDG), two well-established techniques - intracardiac tunneling and extracardiac prosthesis - are available for completion, although the choice of technique is still a matter of debate.

Material And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the surgical and clinical records of patients with single ventricle physiology, who underwent intracardiac (group I) or extracardiac (group II) Fontan palliation after BDG.