Dušan Vršanský, Viera Vršanská
Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) is one of the best known congenital heart diseases (CHD) with prevalence about 10 % of all CHD. The syndrome has been described by Stenson (1672) and later by Fallot – maladie bleue (1888). TOF has been the first surgically treated CHD (palliation by Blalock and Taussig 1945, total correction by Lillehei 1954). Authors try to provide cardiologists with basic information regarding surgical techniques used for TOF correction and subsequent interventions during the time. They point out that today 85 % of all surgically corrected children survive to the 35th year of their live and more. In Slovakia this number represents 21 new adult TOF patients (every after one or more operations in their history) every year. Later approximately 25 % of them will need one or more surgical and/or interventional procedures. Every TOF patient must be therefore treated in the specialised GUCH centre.