The aim of surgical treatment for atrial septal defect is correction of anatomical and physiologic anomaly. Incidence of heart failure, cerebrovascular accident, atrial fibrillation and late mortality depend on the timing of surgery. Echocardiographic cardiac functional alteration after surgery is not surveyed sufficiently. So we intended to observe the alteration and function of cardiac anatomy after surgery.

We studied 22 patients who were undergone correction surgery of atrial septal defect at Keimyung university medical center. We devided patients into two groups according to age. Group I consists of patients who undergone surgery before 41 year old(mean age 32.25 year old, male 3, total 12). Group II comprises patients who undergone surgery after 41 year old(mean age 53.4 year old, male 1, total 10). We compared chief complaint, preoperative cardiac catheterization finding, pre- and post-operative echocardiographic finding(ejection fraction, end diastolic right and left ventricular dimension, grade of tricuspid regurgitation, paradoxical septal motion) between 2 groups.

Preoperatively 6 patients(50%) of group I patients were diagnosed as mild congestive heart failure(according to NYHA functional class) and 2 patients(20%) of group II patients were in mild congestive heart failure. The Qp/Qs of both group were 3.5±1.7, 2.9±1.3, systolic right ventricular pressure were 42.1±10.5, 44.5±9.5mmHg, systolic pulmonary arterial pressure were 31.3±4.3, 36.6±7.3mmHg. 1 of group I patients and 2 of group II patients showed ejection fraction below 55% on postoperative echocardiography. The others showed normal ejection on echocardiography. Mean end diastolic right ventricular dimension was 3.84cm preopratively and 2.53cm postoperatively on group II patients. Mean end diastolic right ventricular dimension of group I patients was 3.94cm preoperatively and 2.81cm postoperatively. 3 of group I patients showed mild TR(tricuspid regurgitation), 5 showed moderate TR, and 4 showed severe TR preoperatively. 3 of group I patients showed loss of TR, 1 showed moderate TR, 8 showed mild TR. 3 of group II patients showed mild TR, 2 showed moderate TR, 5 showed severe TR preoperatively. 6 of group II patients showed mild TR, 3 showed moderate TR, 1 showed severe TR postoperatively. Paradoxical septal motion reflects right ventricular pressure overloading and was observed on both groups preoperatively. But after correction surgery, paradoxical septal motion persists at 6(50%) of group I patients, 6(60%) of group II patients.

Conclusively, surgical correction for atrial septal defect before age of 41 is effective to prevent or slow down the manifestation of congestive heart failure, persistence of TR. Ejection fraction was improved significantly on echocardiography on both groups. But paradoxical septal motion persist after surgery, so more survey is needed.