Objective To compare the clinical results of different thoracic incision approaches for congenital heart disease in children. Methods Retrospective analyses of the clinical results of different thoracic incision approaches for 1 669 children with congenital heart disease was performed. All patients were divided into median sternotomy group(Med group), right thoracotomy group (Rat group),and lower partial median sternotomy group (Pt group) according to different thoracic incision. Two hundred and forty five children underwent atrial septal defect(ASD) repair, 1 005 children underwent ventricular septal defect(VSD) repair and 419 children underwent tetralogy of Fallot(TOF) correct repair from Jan. 1999 to Dec. 2001. Results In ASD repair the incidence of pulmonary complications after operation in the Rat group was significantly higher than that in Med group and Pt group ( P lt;0 05). The percentage of pulmonary hypertension before operation in Med group was significantly greater than th...更多at in the Rat group and Pt group ( P lt;0 05), but the incidence of pulmonary complications in Rat group was significantly higher than that in the Med group and Pt group in children with VSD( P lt;0 05). The concentration of hemoglobin , the oxygen saturation and the percentage of transannular patch in Med group were significantly higher, lower and greater respectively than those in the Pt group and in Rat group in children with TOF( P lt;0 05). Conclusion The approaches to be selected should guarantee to correct the cardiac anomaly satisfactorily, reduce the postoperative complications maximally and ensure success of their operations.