Background: Obtaining precise hemodynamic and morphological information in the early postoperative period after surgical correction of congenital heart disease is important in determining the need for future medical or surgical intervention. We investigated the residual shunting after surgical repair of simple ventricular septal defect in order to know the incidence of residual shunting in the postoperative period and the natural history of small residual shunts located in the peripatch area.
Material and Method: Forty three consecutive patients under one year of age who underwent patch repair of a simple ventricular septal defect were evaluated for incidence of residual shunts by echocardiography.
Result: Eleven patients had echocardiographic residual shunt in the peripatch area at immediate postoperative period, however, there were no patients who needed reoperation due to deteriorated hemodynamic effect of residual shunt. The incidence of residual shunts was not significantly different with type of ventricular septal defect and material used for closure. During follow up period, two patients were lost and remaining nine patients no longer showed evidence of residual shunt. The mean time of last evidence of shunt was 4.2±3.6 months after operation.
Conclusion: Residual peripatch shunt flow was frequently noted in the immediate postoperative period following surgical repair of ventricular septal defect, however, most of them were disappeared within six months.

Keywords: 1. Heart septal defect, ventricle, 2. Shunt