Axillary Arteriovenous Fistula for Resolution of Pulmonary Arteriovenous Malformations Following Bidirectional Superior Cavopulmonary Connections.

Abstract

BackgroundPulmonary arteriovenous malformations (PAVMs) are a major cause of cyanosis after bidirectional cavopulmonary connection. We evaluated the effects of axillary arteriovenous fistula (AAVF) creation in managing PAVMs.MethodsThis retrospective cohort study included patients who underwent AAVF creation from 2014 to 2022 with ≥6 months of follow-up. Patients underwent diagnostic cardiac catheterization to assess hemodynamic and angiographic response to AAVF. Oxygen saturation (SO₂) was recorded at 1, 2, and 6 months postoperatively, then every 3-6 months, and temporal correlations were analyzed.ResultsTwelve patients underwent AAVF creation. Nine (75%) showed improvement; 5 proceeded to total cavopulmonary connection (Fontan), and 4 remained with AAVF as final palliation. Nine patients underwent follow-up catheterization ≥6 months after AAVF, demonstrating significant improvement in pulmonary venous saturation, aortic saturation, and McGoon ratio (P = .013, .012, and .011, respectively). Early postoperative SO₂ at 2 months strongly correlated with later SO₂ at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months (P = .003, .004, .004, and .018, respectively).ConclusionsAxillary arteriovenous fistula creation was effective in treating PAVMs in 75% (9/12) of our patients and was effective as a bridge to total cavopulmonary connection (TCPC) in all patients. It may be considered an alternative to TCPC when TCPC is not feasible; however, this requires validation in a larger population with longer follow-up. Finally, mid-term SO₂ can be predicted based on the first 2 months of SO₂ post-AAVF creation, as there is excellent correlation between SO₂ at the first 2 postoperative months and SO₂ at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months.