Between 1981 and 1987, five patients with an interruption of the aortic arch were operated upon. All had a ventricular septal defect and a patent ductus arteriosus as associated anomalies. A two-stage procedure was employed in these cases, the initial procedure being repair of the interrupted arch, ligation of the patent ductus arteriosus, banding of the main pulmonary artery and a lung biopsy which was followed, 5 to 49 months later, by the repair of the ventricular septal defect. Four patients completed the two-stage procedure with one postoperative mortality. The remaining patient is yet to complete the second stage procedure.