The pulmonary arteries are disconnected from the truncal vessel and connected to the right ventricle. After surgery normal growth and development are expected, unless significant residual cardiac defects or significant non-cardiac problems are present. With growth the homograft will become relatively small and will need to be replaced one or more times during a life time. Repair of Truncus Arteriosus. The aortic patch covers the area where the pulmonary arteries have been taken off the truncal vessel.
Arrows indicate direction of blood flow.
Some infants with truncus arteriosus have additional cardiac and non-cardiac abnormalities. The additional cardiac abnormalities are almost exclusively limited to abnormalities of the aorta and the aortic arch and include interrupted aortic arch and right aortic arch. In DiGeorge syndrome there is a micro-deletion of chromosome 22, which can be detected by chromosome analysis. Infants with surgical repair of truncus arteriosus will need close follow-up with a Pediatric Cardiologist. During each follow-up visit a detailed history will be taken and a detailed physical examination will be performed.