ABSTRACT

In 1971, Fontan and Baudet published their landmark paper describing a surgical correction whereby the pulmonary and systemic circulations were placed in series in a patient with tricuspid atresia. Since that time, the indications for this procedure have been extended to include all defects with a functionally univentricular heart. Despite the early success of this procedure, longevity and efficiency of this circulatory arrangement have been of constant concern, leading to numerous modifications of the original operation. Some of the early modifications dispensed with the inlet and outlet valves and ultimately led to the direct connection of the functional right atrium to the pulmonary circulation.