Central pulmonary artery histopathology in patients with cyanotic congenital heart diseases.

Background: This study evaluated the pulmonary arterial (PA) wall histopathology and the risk factors related to histopathology and inadequate pulmonary artery growth in patients with cyanotic congenital heart diseases (CHDs) undergoing primary or second-stage operations after different types of systemic-to-PA shunts with or without pulmonary arterioplasty.

Methods: Operatively excised full-thickness PA tissue from 150 consecutive patients (mean age, 90.8 +/- 62.