Transcatheter closure of a calcified patent ductus arteriosus in an elderly man

Successful transcatheter closure of a calcified patent ductus arteriosus was performed in a symptomatic 78 year old man. Cardiac catheterization revealed a left to right shunt across the patent ductus arteriosus with a pulmonary to systemic flow ratio of 2.8:1. Calcification of the ductus and severe lung disease increased the risk of surgical patent ductus arteriosus closure. A 17 mm Rashkind double umbrella was positioned in the ductus percutaneously by way of the femoral vein. After closure of the ductus there was marked hemodynamic improvement and the patient was discharged with improved exercise tolerance. Transcatheter closure of patent ductus arteriosus may be a viable option for the elderly patient too sick to withstand cardiovascular surgery.     

Operation for adult patent ductus arteriosus using an aortic stent-graft technique

Patent ductus arteriosus is a condition usually diagnosed and treated in childhood but in some instances is not detected until adult life. Although surgical closure remains the accepted treatment in most cases, stent-grafting has emerged as a possible alternative treatment for persistent ductus arteriosus in the adult. We describe a case of elective repair of a patent ductus arteriosus using an aortic stent-graft technique in a young man. Successful use of the endoprosthetic approach may allow more widespread use of this technique in adult patent ductus arteriosus.     

Intravascular hemolysis following percutaneous occlusion of the ductus arteriosus]

Transcatheter occlusion of patent ductus arteriosus has become a safe and successful technique, but it's not free of complications. We present the case of a two-year-old boy who underwent routine transcatheter closure of his patent ductus arteriosus, using a "coil" device. Twenty hours later he developed severe persistent hemolysis in association with residual ductal flow. Patient's clinical situation became stable when the device was removed. Pulmonary embolization of the device and hemolysis are the main complications of percutaneous closure of the patent ductus arteriosus. Hemolysis occurs rarely (0.5%) and is always associated with the presence of residual ductal flow. Several approaches to this problem have been described. Mild cases may require no intervention; however, when severe hemolysis is present, removal of the device may be needed, proceeding with surgical repair of the patent ductus arteriosus.     

Transcatheter closure of patent ductus arteriosus in adults using the Amplatzer duct occluder: initial results and follow-up

BACKGROUND: Surgical closure of patent ductus arteriosus in adult patients may be problematic. Transcatheter closure of patent ductus arteriosus is an established procedure. Recently, transcatheter closure of patent ductus arteriosus using the Amplatzer duct occluder has been shown to be safe and efficacious. We present our experience with this device in adults. METHODS AND RESULTS: Between January 2000 and January 2002,41 adult patients (31 females and 10 males) with a patent ductus arteriosus were referred for closure with the Amplatzer duct occluder. The median age was 35.6 years (range 18-70.7 years) and the median weight was 65.8 kg (range 32.7-164.5 kg). Of these 41 patients, 37 underwent attempted closure of the patent ductus arteriosus using the Amplatzer duct occluder. The device was successfully deployed in all patients except 1. Complete angiographic closure was seen Immediately after device deployment in 29 out of 36 patients (81%). Complete echocardiographic closure was demonstrated within 24 hours post-procedure in 34 out of 36 patients (94%), and at 6-month follow-up in 35 out of 36 patients (97%). No complications related to device implantation occurred in any patient. CONCLUSIONS: Closure of patent ductus arteriosus using the Amplatzer duct occluder is safe and effective in adults.     

Repair of aortopulmonary window at left thoracotomy for patent ductus arteriosus

The inability to differentiate accurately between patent ductus arteriosus and aortopulmonary window may occasionally result in finding an aortopulmonary window while prepared to close a patent ductus arteriosus at left thoracotomy. Anatomic and technical factors now allow aortopulmonary window closure from the left chest using surgical clips in certain selected cases. The successful repair of such a case is presented.     

Right patent ductus arteriosus with an ipsilateral aortic arch: percutaneous closure with amplatzer devices

The association of a right aortic arch with an ipsilateral patent ductus arteriosus is rare, especially when there are no other intracardiac anomalies. We report three female patients aged 26, 35 and 9 years with this combination in whom previous attempts at surgical closure by thoracotomy and sternotomy were unsuccessful and who subsequently underwent successful percutaneous closure of the defects using Amplatzer devices. In two patients, although angiography demonstrated the presence of type-A patent ductus arteriosus, it was not possible to determine the minimum diameter accurately and it was necessary to measure it using a sizing balloon. An Amplatzer duct occluder was used in two patients and an Amplatzer muscular ventricular septal defect occluder, in the other. In all patients, full closure was confirmed in the catheterization laboratory and the patients were discharged on the same day with no complications. Percutaneous closure of a right patent ductus arteriosus associated with a right aortic arch is feasible, safe and effective.     

Surgical treatment of patent ductus arteriosus]

The experience gained with 1400 operations for patent ductus arteriosus performed at the Clinic of the Hospital Surgery of the Gorky Medical Institute during the period from October 1955 through 1973 is presented. The total post-operative lethality comprised 1.3 per cent, it amounting to 6 per cent with complicated patent ductus arteriosus, to 3 per cent among children of junior age and to 0.1 per cent in cases of uncomplicated defect. An analysis of operative and post-operative complications along with a study into remote results of the surgical intervention helped define indications for the closure of the duct in patients with pulmonary hypertension and septic endarteritis. They also showed the possibility of a single-stage correction of combined congenital heart defects. Indications have been worked out for the surgical treatment of patent ductus arteriosus in infants and procedures for the closure of the duct, depending upon its apatomic variants and concomitant complications.     

Percutaneous closure of the small patent ductus arteriosus using occluding spring coils

Objectives. This report summarizes our experience with the use of occluding spring coils to close the small patent ductus arteriosus.Background. Several patent ductus arteriosus occluders (most notably the Rashkind device) have been developed and studied. Occluding spring coils have been used to close abnormal vessels and vascular connections. We previously reported the use of occluding spring coils to close the small patent ductus arteriosus in a small group of patients. This report describes our series of patients having patent ductus arteriosus closure with occluding spring coils.Methods. Between June 1990 and June 1993, 30 patients underwent cardiac catheterization to have patent ductus arteriosus closure by occluding spring coils. Selection criteria were age >6 months and narrowest patent ductus arteriosus internal dimension ⪯3.0 mm by color flow imaging. Definitive selection was based on review of aortograms performed at catheterization. A 5.2F coronary catheter was used to deliver one or two standard occluding spring coils. A loop was delivered in the main pulmonary artery, and the remainder of the coil was delivered across the patent ductus arteriosus and into the aortic diverticulum. Patent ductus arteriosus closure was confirmed by aortography or color flow imaging, or both. Follow-up after coil placement occurred at 6 weeks and 6 months and included two-view chest radiography, echocardiography and color flow imaging.Results. Of the 30 patients, 29 had successful implantation by one (27 patients) or two (2 patients) occluding spring coils. Of these 29 patients, 19 had a clinically apparent and 10 had a silent patent ductus arteriosus. Average ductus minimal internal dimension was 1.7 mm (range 1.0 to 3.0). Complete closure of the ductus was confirmed in 27 patients by aortography or color flow imaging or both (in 24 within 4 h, in 2 after 6 weeks and in 1 after 6 months). Six weeks after implantation, two patients had a tiny residual patent ductus arteriosus noted on color flow imaging. One patient did not have successful implantation. This patient had a 3.2-mm ductus, and two coils migrated to the distal left pulmonary artery and could not be retrieved. There were no deaths or any significant complications noted during early or late follow-up in these patients.Conclusions. Occluding spring coils may have additional application in closing the small patent ductus arteriosus.     

Amplatzer Muscular VSD Occluder for catheter closure of a 20 mm hypertensive patent ductus arteriosus. A case report and literature review

The treatment of very large patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) was thought to be solely surgical. There is not enough experience in transcatheter closure of large hypertensive PDA. In this report, successful catheter closure of a large and hypertensive ductus using the Amplatzer Muscular VSD Occluder and a literature review are presented.     

New serial contrast technique for assessment of left to right shunting patent ductus arteriosus in the neonate

A new serial echocardiographic contrast technique for detection of patent ductus arteriosus has been developed and validated by clinical course (33 infants), surgical observations (13 infants) and autopsy observations (4 infants). A left to right shunting patent ductus arteriosus was demonstrated in 30 of 33 prospectively studied premature infants (mean weight 1,371 g) using this new contrast method. The demonstration of left to right ductal shunting was accomplished by hand injection of a nonviscous material (saline solution, 5 percent dextrose in water or the patient's own blood) through an umbilical arterial catheter placed with its tip located above the diaphragm during recording of a suprasternal notch echocardiogram. In positive studies, both the transverse aortic arch and right pulmonary artery were opacified. If no left to right shunt existed, only the transverse aortic arch was opacified.This serial study helped elucidate the natural history of patent ductus arteriosus. Twenty-four of the 30 patients with a positive study initially had a left to right shunting patent ductus arteriosus without an audible murmur. Three of these patients with silent patent ductus arteriosus later had congestive heart failure and two required operative ligation of the patent ductus. The high rate of detection of silent patent ductus arteriosus and its bedside confirmation when suspected are important in the serial management of critically ill newborns with this condition. The test is safe and sensitive and it is useful for early demonstration of silent patent ductus arteriosus, for clarifying the origin of murmurs and for confirming spontaneous, operative or pharmacologie closure of a patent ductus arteriosus.     

Endoluminal occlusion, using a catheter, of patent ductus arteriosus in an adult

The risk of surgical closure of the ductus arteriosus in the adult is greater than in children. The ductus arteriosus can now be occluded by venous catheterisation using a Rashkind umbrella. This procedure vas performed in a 63 year old woman. The diagnosis was confirmed and the anatomy of the lesion defined by catheterisation with aortography. The patent ductus was then occluded with a balloon catheter to assess the reversibility of the pulmonary hypertension. A 17 mm Rashkind umbrella was then used to completely occlude the ductus. The advantages of the method over surgical closure are: absence of morbidity related to thoracotomy, to general anaesthesia, to blood transfusion and the reduction of hospital stay to 3 days.     

Closure of Tubular Patent Ductus Arteriosus in Infants and Small Children with the Amplatzer Vascular Plug II

Percutaneous closure of a tubular patent ductus arteriosus can be challenging in the infant and small child. In this report, we describe the successful closure of tubular patent ductus arteriosus with the Amplatzer Vascular Plug II in two patients, ages 3 months and 13 months.     

Transcatheter treatment of "pulmonary artery hypertension" due to patent ductus arteriosus and pulmonary artery stenosis

The association between large, left-sided patent ductus arteriosus and severe, peripheral, right pulmonary artery stenosis with no other cardiac malformation is an unreported condition that might be misdiagnosed as pulmonary hypertension due to long-standing ductal shunt. A 57-year-old man with supposed hypertensive patent ductus arteriosus underwent confirmatory cardiac catheterization. At angiography, a severe pre-hilar right pulmonary artery stenosis (peak pressure gradient, 65 mmHg) was found to complicate the hemodynamic picture of a moderate-to-large patent ductus arteriosus (QP/QS, 1.7:1), by causing pulmonary hypertension (mean pressure, 65 mmHg) and left-to-right pulmonary flow imbalance. Both lesions were treated in a single procedure of right pulmonary artery stenting and patent ductus arteriosus closure, after which the pulmonary artery pressure significantly decreased (mean, 35 mmHg). In our opinion, a thorough hemodynamic evaluation followed by pulmonary angiography should be mandatory before proceeding to patent ductus arteriosus closure in the adult patient who has "hypertensive" ductus, in whom possible associated malformations can be missed due to a poor echocardiographic window.     

Transcatheter embolization of recanalized coronary artery fistula with Nit-Occlud device

Congenital coronary artery fistula is a rare anomaly with varying symptomatology that may be addressed with surgical or interventional closure. Recanalization after complete occlusion of a coronary artery fistula has only been reported after surgical but not after interventional closure. We present a case of coronary artery fistula recanalization after angiographically documented complete transcatheter occlusion with Gianturco coils. The fistula was successfully managed by transcatheter implantation of a Nit-Occlud system, originally designed for interventional closure of patent ductus arteriosus.     

Percutaneous closure of window-type patent ductus arteriosus: using the CardioSEAL and STARFlex devices

Transcatheter closure of patent ductus arteriosus is routinely performed using various devices. After the withdrawal of the Rashkind umbrella device from the market, the wide window-type patent ductus arteriosus has been difficult to close percutaneously. Two patients with this condition are presented: a 17-year-old man and a 62-year-old woman with short (4.5- and 5.2-mm-diameter, respectively) ductus. We successfully implanted a 17-mm CardioSEAL device in the 1st patient and a 23-mm STARFlex in the 2nd, with no residual shunt at follow-up (22 and 8 months, respectively). Although these devices (which follow the general design of the Rashkind umbrella) are usually applied to atrial septal defect closure, we believe that CardioSEAL and STARFlex implants could be the treatment of choice in percutaneous treatment.of window-type patent ductus arteriosus.     

Non-surgical closure of patent ductus arteriosus in children with the Rashkind double disk occluder

Since the first clinical application of transcatheter closure technique for patent ductus arteriosus in children and infants in 1977 by Rashkind and Coll., this technique is routinely performed only in a few major Pediatric Cardiology Centers. We report our successful series which is the first of its kind both in Italy and in Southern Europe. The series included 11 children aged 1.6 to 10 years (mean age 4.5 years) all affected with patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). Subaortic stenosis (1) and ventricular septal defect with pulmonary stenosis (1) were associated anomalies. In all of the cases, after the standard percutaneous cardiac catheterization, the Mullins method was attempted to advance and deliver the Rashkind PDA double-disk occluder. Successful closure was accomplished in 10 while almost complete closure was achieved in the 11th. Normal Doppler flow pattern after the procedure confirmed the successful results. No complications occurred. Although our experience is limited, non-surgical PDA closure provided an excellent alternative to surgical procedure.     

Transcatheter management of patent ductus arteriosus in sick ventilated small infants

BACKGROUND: Large patent ductus arteriosus can present in infancy with congestive cardiac failure and superadded pulmonary infection can necessitate mechanical ventilation. Surgical intervention is traditionally indicated for this subset of patients. We present our experience of transcatheter coil closure of the patent ductus arteriosus in such infants. METHODS AND RESULTS: Five infants weighing between 960 gm and 4.1 kg, aged between 17 days and 3 1/2 months were mechanically ventilated because of congestive cardiac failure with pneumonia. Echocardiography showed patient ductus arteriosus with a size of 1.8 to 4.2 mm and adequate ampulla. Bioptome-assisted coil delivery was done and successful patient ductus arteriosus closure was achieved in all. There were two instances of embolization of coils with successful retrieval and redeployment. All infants could be weaned off mechanical ventilation over the next 24-72 hours. A pre-term infant developed a Doppler gradient of 25 mmHg in the descending aorta that decreased to 12 mmHg five months later. There was no significant obstruction to pulmonary artery flow in any child. At three months follow-up, all the five infants were asymptomatic with no residual flow across the patient ductus arteriosus. CONCLUSIONS: Transcatheter coil closure of moderate to large patent ductus arteriosus is possible in sick ventilated infants weighing below 5 kg. It may be a better alternative to surgery in selected cases in view of minimal morbidity.     

Closure of a very large patent ductus arteriosus using the amplatzer duct occluder

A very large patent ductus arteriosus was closed completely using an Amplatzer Duct Occluder. This represents the largest patent ductus arteriosus to undergo closure with this endovascular technique.     

Technique for closure of the small patent ductus arteriosus using the Rashkind occluder

Percutaneous transcatheter closure of the patent ductus arteriosus has become a clinically viable procedure in childhood due to the pioneering work of Rashkind and Mullins. Presented is a modification of the technique to accomplish catheter closure in the small ductus arteriosus.     

Does the risk of infective endarteritis justify routine patent ductus arteriosus closure?

OBJECTIVES: The risk of infective endarteritis in patients with patent ductusarteriosus seems to have declined during the last 30–40years, and cases of patent ductus arteriosus complicated byinfective endarteritis are now very rare. Moreover, with theintroduction of antibiotics, there has been a dramatic reductionin mortality from infective endocarditis. Despite these changes,however, the prevention of infective endarteritis has remainedthe principal indication, apart from haemodynamic reasons, forsurgical patent ductus arteriosus closure. The aim of this studywas to ascertain whether prevention of infective endarteritisis still a justifiable indication for routine closure in allcases of patent ductus arteriosus. METHODS: The records of 270 paediatric and adult cases of patent ductusarteriosus was reviewed with respect to infective endarteritis.All Swedish death certificates issued during the period 1960–93were checked for the occurrence of patent ductus arteriosusin combination with infective endarteritis. RESULTS: There had been no cases of infective endarteritis over an aggregateof 1196 years at risk. Of nearly three million deaths in Swedenduring the period 1960–93 two cases were due to infectiveendarteritis as a complication of patent ductus arteriosus. CONCLUSION: The present findings suggest routine closure of a patent ductusarteriosus, for the sole purpose of eliminating the risk ofinfective endarteritis, is unnecessary.