An epitaph for cavopulmonary anastomosis.

Cavopulmonary anastomosis was developed by several surgical groups working independently and probably unaware of each other. In a most unusual way, the primary discoveries were left unnoticed, the initial trials were not followed up, and the first clinical successes were generally disregarded. After that, however, there was intensive experimental and clinical activity during which the physiology of this new operation was studied intensively and it was applied in a large number of clinical cases. After the development of more radical procedures, the operation gradually fell into disuse. This essay discusses the place of the cavopulmonary shunt in surgical history.