The management of patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) has changed dramatically with the development of targeted therapy with selective pulmonary vasodilators. The number of adult Japanese patients with PAH associated with CHD is increasing. It is important to develop evidence-based guidelines for the management of these patients, and to achieve this, a register of adult Japanese patients with PAH associated with CHD should be established. At the World Symposium in Nice, France, in 2013, the consensus was reached that patients with a pulmonary resistance of < 4 Wood Units (WU)·m² have operable disease, and patients with a pulmonary resistance of > 8 WU·m² have inoperable disease. However, these criteria are conservative. Some patients with a pulmonary resistance of > 8 WU·m² and a good response to a pulmonary vasodilator test have operable disease and a favorable clinical course long after repair of CHD. The criteria determining operability in patients with PAH associated with CHD in the era of pulmonary vasodilators should be established using data obtained from patient registers and/or multicenter studies. The optimal management of Eisenmenger syndrome should also be established using data obtained from patient registers. Prospective studies should be conducted to determine the life expectancy of patients with Eisenmenger syndrome in the era of targeted therapy. A relatively mild increase in pulmonary resistance may result in failure of a Fontan circulation. The effects of pulmonary vasodilators on the long-term prognosis of patients who have undergone the Fontan operation are still unclear.

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Eisenmenger syndrome (ES) is the most advanced form of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) associated with congenital heart defects. ES greatly affects functional capacity, quality of life, and survival of patients. Clinical management of patients with ES has been dramatically changed and developed in a new therapeutic era of PAH, approximately a century after the first ES case described by Dr. Eisenmenger. Targeted drugs for PAH improve functional capacity and quality of life of patients with ES. In addition, these drugs may also provide a benefit for patients’ survival. To achieve further development in medical treatment of patients with ES, they will need to be individualized according to functional classes, underlying cardiac defects, and underlying systemic diseases.

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Previous studies examining the use of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) drugs in patients with Eisenmenger syndrome (ES) have shown that it may have beneficial effects in some patients with ES; however, experience with additional cases is necessary to confirm its efficacy and appropriate clinical use. We herein report our experience of an adult patient with ES who benefitted from treatment with PAH drugs. A 32-year-old Japanese man with severe ES induced by a ventricular septal defect associated with Down syndrome began treatment with bosentan at 62.5 mg. Eleven months later, he was admitted for tadalafil (40 mg) add-on therapy because his 6-minute walking distance and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) level had not improved and his hepatic enzyme levels had increased. However, marked hypotension developed, and the tadalafil dose was decreased. His BNP level subsequently increased, so the bosentan dose was increased to 125 mg. The bosentan was then abruptly stopped because of a low platelet count and high liver enzyme levels. Ambrisentan was then administered for these side effects, but because severe dyspnea developed, the bosentan was started again at 62.5 mg. This resulted in immediate clinical improvement. The patient was finally switched to ambrisentan (5 mg), which was well tolerated. The findings in this particular case show that although it should be used with caution, bosentan may be beneficial in select patients with ES. In addition, ambrisentan may be considered as first-line treatment in some patients as long as liver enzymes and platelets are carefully monitored.

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The operability of congenital heart disease with left to right shunt depends on the severity of the pulmonary vascular disease induced by the increased pulmonary blood flow. Although some recommendations exist regarding operative indications according to pathological, hemodynamic, and epidemiological factors, the evidence underlying these recommendations is not conclusive. Recently, oral pulmonary vasodilator therapy has been reported to improve outcomes in patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension, and this therapy also appears to be effective in patients with congenital heart disease and pulmonary arterial hypertension, including those with postoperative pulmonary hypertension and Eisenmenger syndrome. It is expected that the availability of novel pulmonary vasodilator therapy will expand the operative indications in patients with congenital heart disease with left to right shunt, but there is currently insufficient evidence to definitively determine this. A multicenter double-blind study should be conducted to further examine this issue.

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Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a common postoperative complication in patients with congenital heart disease (CHD). Although the recent clinical classification of pulmonary hypertension divided PAH associated with CHD (PAH–CHD) into several subclasses, the anatomical and hemodynamic features of postoperative PAH–CHD vary enormously. Therefore, it is still difficult to obtain clinical evidence supporting the indication of pulmonary vasodilators for PAH–CHD. We often encounter patients with PAH occurring after surgical treatment of tetralogy of Fallot (TOF), especially patients with major aortopulmonary collateral arteries (MAPCAs). PAH might be caused by pulmonary agenesis, hypoplasia and/or thrombosis, inadequate closure of the ventricular septal defect, relief of the pulmonic stenosis, or an excessively large prior systemic-to-pulmonary shunt. Moreover, patients with TOF and MAPCAs who are diagnosed as inoperable because of the presence of PAH show similar hemodynamic and clinical features to patients with Eisenmenger syndrome. The MAPCAs in these patients usually show hypoplastic and abnormal arborization. Based on our experience, we believe that PAH-targeted therapies are effective in some patients with PAH occurring after surgical treatment of TOF and MAPCAs, especially as an adjunct to percutaneous pulmonary angioplasty. To help classify patients with PAH associated with TOF, especially with MAPCAs, we propose several new subclassifications: “PAH due to hypoplastic pulmonary arterial beds”, “PAH due to abnormal pulmonary arborization”, or “segmental PAH associated with CHD.” A multicenter registry of patients using a unified protocol is essential to explore the indications and efficacy of pulmonary vasodilators for postoperative PAH–CHD.

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In preterm infants with congenital heart disease, concomitant bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is associated with relatively poor clinical outcomes because of the increased pulmonary vascular resistance and adverse effects of inflammation on the damaged lungs, even after surgery. We present herein a 1-year-old female who developed recurrent pulmonary arterial hypertension 6 months after closure of a ventricular septal defect. She was born at 26 weeks of gestation (birth weight, 470 g), and developed BPD requiring oxygen supplementation. Her systemic-to-pulmonary blood flow ratio was 2.1 preoperatively and 1.0 postoperatively, pulmonary arterial pressure was 61/15 (mean 39) mmHg preoperatively and 41/17 (mean 24) mmHg postoperatively, and pulmonary vascular resistance was 4.2 mmHg/L·minute·m² preoperatively and 3.6 mmHg/L·minute·m² postoperatively. At 1 year of age, echocardiography showed an increase in her estimated right ventricular pressure, indicating worsening pulmonary hypertension. After 3 years of treatment with oxygen supplementation, prostacyclin, and bosentan, her pulmonary arterial pressure improved to the normal range. The pathophysiology of pulmonary arterial hypertension is heterogeneous in preterm infants with congenital heart disease and concomitant BPD. Careful management of these patients is warranted even after corrective cardiac surgery.

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This study retrospectively evaluated the effectiveness of pulmonary vasodilator therapy with bosentan (n = 14) and/ or sildenafil (n = 23) in 34 patients with a functionally single ventricle. Vasodilator therapy was initiated before the Fontan procedure in 18 patients and after the procedure in 16 patients. The reasons for vasodilator treatment included high pulmonary artery pressure or pulmonary vascular resistance (n = 8), high central venous pressure after the Fontan or bidirectional Glenn procedure (n = 7), and ventilatory impairment (n = 8). In the 11 patients who underwent right heart catheterization before and after the initiation of therapy, the mean pulmonary artery pressure decreased significantly from 19.5 ± 5.5 mmHg to 14.3 ± 3.0 mmHg (P = 0.023) and the transpulmonary pressure gradient decreased significantly from 10.9 ± 4.6 mmHg to 7.2 ± 3.3 mmHg (P = 0.046). Of the 18 patients who started vasodilator therapy before the Fontan procedure, 10 survived surgery, 4 are awaiting surgery, 3 had not been evaluated for the Fontan procedure at the end of the study period, and 1 died of heart failure after discontinuing bosentan therapy. There were no deaths among the patients who started therapy after the Fontan procedure. Two of the 14 patients receiving bosentan discontinued treatment because of adverse effects (hepatic dysfunction and increased serum brain natriuretic peptide level). Bosentan or sildenafil therapy is usually safe and may contribute to reducing pulmonary vascular resistance in patients with a functionally single ventricle before and after a Fontan type operation.

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As a result of advances and modifications in surgical procedures and the development of drugs for pulmonary arterial hypertension, many patients who have undergone Fontan procedures are able to enjoy good quality of life, without pulmonary arterial hypertension and severe complications. In Shizuoka Children’s Hospital, drugs for pulmonary arterial hypertension have long been given to Fontan candidates and patients with established Fontan circulation to maintain sufficient pulmonary blood flow and suppress pulmonary arterial hypertension. We present three typical cases that were treated with anti-pulmonary hypertensive drugs before or after Fontan procedure. The first case had asplenia syndrome, and a single ventricle with major aortopulmonary collateral arteries. Anti-pulmonary hypertensive therapy permitted a Fontan procedure and maintained a good long-term quality of life. The second case was a Down syndrome patient who had progressive cyanosis after a Fontan operation. Anti-pulmonary hypertensive therapy improved cyanosis. The third case suffered from protein-losing enteropathy, for which all procedures and medical therapies were ineffective. Fontan candidates and patients with Fontan circulation have varied anatomical backgrounds and pulmonary properties. We must identify the conditions that lead to successful Fontan procedure and Fontan circulation correction, as well as conditions that result in failed Fontan procedure and poorly-controlled Fontan circulation.

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