Extracardiac Fontan Procedure Bridging the Vertebra for Apico-Caval Juxtaposition

For 5 patients with univentricular heart associated with apico-caval juxtaposition, an extracardiac Fontan procedure was carried out using an artifical graft bridging the vertebra to avoid graft compression by the vertebra and the ventricle. For 2 patients representing nonconfluency between the inferior caval vein and the hepatic vein, a hand-made, shoetree graft was used. Postoperatively all patients are doing well without a stenotic venous pathway. This extracardiac operation using an artificial graft bridging the vertebra may be advantageous for univentricular heart associated with apico-caval juxtaposition to prevent a postoperative stenotic venous pathway.