Evolution in experimental Fontan circulation: a review.

Experimental right heart bypass operations have influenced the evolution of current application of the Fontan procedure. In this review, we summarize the evolution and progress of the experimental Fontan operation (FO) and discuss the questions raised so far. The evolution and progress of the experimental FO is analyzed in this review by collecting data retrieved from English literature research. The establishment of Fontan circulation on an experimental animal model is extremely difficult and until today, a chronic experimental model has never been described. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has played a significant role in the investigation of the hemodynamic characteristics of the FO and has been applied to the design and integration of the procedure. CFD was also employed to evaluate the performance of assisted Fontan circulation. Accumulated experience from the experimental studies and clinical practice, in combination with the cooperation of different fields in medicine and positive sciences, are definitely expected to help the evolution furthermore.