AV channel (AVSD)

Primary corrective surgery is usually performed between the 4th and 6th month of life. During the operation, the septal defects are closed with a patch and the AV valves are reconstructed. The prerequisite is that both ventricles are the same size and the pulmonary pressure is not already too high.
If one chamber is too small, corrective surgery is not possible. In this case, the step-by-step procedure is the same as for complex heart defects with only one chamber (single ventricle) (see complex heart defects).
Reconstruction of the AV valves in AVSD is a high surgical skill. Minor leaks in the valve are common and only if these increase in the course of the disease must a valve reconstruction be attempted again after a few years. In AVSD, the outlet from the left main chamber is shaped like a swan neck (goose neck); despite successful surgery, it can narrow in infancy and must then be widened surgically.