OBJECTIVE: To report the initial experience of treating complete transposition of the great arteries combined with intact ventricular septal malformation using rapid two-stage arterial reversal. METHODS: From January 2006 to January 2007, four children with complete transposition of the ventricular septum with complete transposition of the great arteries were treated by rapid two-stage arterial reversal. The age ranged from 1.2 months to 20 months; weight ranged from 4.0 to 9.5 kg. Phase I surgery was performed mainly by pulmonary artery annuloplasty and Blalock-Taussig shunt for left ventricular function training. By the time of the second-stage arterial reversal, the LV myocardial mass, end-diastolic diameter and volume, septum, and posterior LV wall thickness increased by 102% to 120%, 30.3% to 37.5%, 79.1% to 143.6%, 5.5% to 26.7%, and 20% to 50%, respectively, compared with those before LV training. The position of the septum shifted from being lateral to the left ventricle to being lateral to the right ventricle or centered. The interval between the second stage surgery was 5 to 19 d. RESULTS: None of the early postoperative cases showed myocardial ischemia and obvious low cardiac output syndrome. Three cases survived, and the other case was anuric during the extracorporeal circulation of the second-stage surgery and early postoperative period, and died of renal failure 28 h after surgery. Conclusion: In children with complete transposition of the great arteries in the age-missing neonatal period with intact ventricular septum, functional training of the left ventricle using pulmonary artery loop reduction prior to radical surgery is an optional and effective method.