Tetralogy of Fallot
Summary
Tetralogy of Fallot, which is named after the French cardiologist Etienne Fallot, is the most common cyanotic heart defect. The way it affects interaction between the right ventricle and the pulmonary circulation and the stresses it imposes on both organs are typical of complex heart defects.
Before surgical correction, oxygen levels in the blood are abnormally low, due to constrictions that reduce blood flow through the pulmonary arteries. This places an excessive burden on the right ventricle. After surgery, deformations may still remain which continue to place a strain on the heart, diminishing the patient’s quality of life and exercise tolerance. Until now there has been no reliable method of determining the strain on the heart and the diminution of right ventricular function. Nevertheless, reliable measurements of these parameters are important when deciding on a form of treatment.
In a series of research projects, clinical practice guidelines are being developed for non-invasive imaging techniques (MRI and tissue Doppler) to evaluate right ventricular function. At the same time, quantitative measurements of the load conditions are established and their interaction with the right ventricular function is determined. This provides an objective basis for decisions concerning the appropriate treatment. For the first time, guidelines for postoperative follow-up examinations are also being compiled and evaluated in the Registry. These will permit long-term evaluation of treatment methods.
These multi-centric studies are being carried out in partnership with numerous clinics in Germany that provide medical care for patients with congenital heart defects. All results are entered in a central database and evaluated jointly by the members of the network – a more efficient way of obtaining high-quality research findings.
