Fig. 1-.

Major Fontan subtypes- A) The early era of the Fontan operation included the right atrium (RA) within the Fontan circuit, usually with the right atrial appendage used as an anastomosis between the RA and right pulmonary artery (RPA). These types of RA-PA Fontan operations were performed in the 1970’s and 1980’s and were supplanted in the 1990’s by the lateral tunnel Fontan (B) which often included a small fenestration. It consists of an intra-atrial baffle from the inferior vena cava (IVC) to the RPA. The superior vena cava (SVC) is connected directly to the RPA (Glenn shunt), hence this is a total cavopulmonary connection that still includes the posterior wall of the right atrium within the Fontan circuit. C) The extra-cardiac Fontan is the most widely performed Fontan sub-type since the late 1990’s and consists of a Gore-tex conduit from the inferior vena cava to the RPA, the right atrium is not included in the Fontan circuit