It is technically feasible to undertake transcatheter coil closure of PDA in carefully selected symptomatic pre-term infants, and it is a safe alternative to surgical ligation.

We aimed to ascertain the prevalence of cardiac malformation (CM) and its association with antenatal exposure to an antiepileptic drug (AED) in infants of mothers with epilepsy (IMEs). Women with epilepsy (WWE) are enrolled in Kerala Registry of Epilepsy and Pregnancy (KREP) in the prepregnancy or early pregnancy period and are followed up with a standard protocol until the IMEs are 6 years old. At 3 months postpartum, a cardiologist, blinded to the AED exposure, carried out a clinical examination and echocardiography on all live-born babies. Patent foramen ovale (PFO) and interatrial septal defects of < 5 mm in size were excluded from CM. Details of maternal epilepsy, folate usage, AED exposure in the first trimester, and newborn characteristics were abstracted from the records of the KREP. We examined 462 babies. Maternal epilepsy was generalized in 201 (43.50%) or localization related in 241 (52.2%). The AED exposure was monotherapy in 262 (56.7%)--carbamazepine (112), valproate (71), phenobarbitone (43), phenytoin (31), and clonazepam (2)--and polytherapy in 126 (27.3%). Seventy-four infants (16.01%) had no AED exposure. There were 36 infants with CM (7.8%; 95% confidence interval: 5.5-10.6). CMs included atrial septal defect (26; 72.2%), tetrology of Fallot (3; 8.3%), patent ductus arteriosus and pulmonic stenosis (2 each; 5.6%), and ventricular septal defect, tricuspid regurgitation, transposition of great arteries (1 each; 2.8%). CMs were significantly more for IMEs with premature birth (p < .003). There was no association between CM and maternal age, epilepsy syndrome, seizure frequency during pregnancy, and folate use. CMs were more frequent with polytherapy (13; 10.3%) compared to monotherapy (17; 6.5%). Those with valproate exposure had a trend (not statistically significant) toward higher frequency of CM compared to IMEs on other AEDs as monotherapy.

Between June 1999 and September 2002, 45 patients (age, 34 +/- 13 years; mean shunt ratio, 2.6 +/- 0.6) underwent transcatheter atrial septal defect (ASD) closure at our institution with the Amplatzer septal occluder (mean device size, 31.4 +/- 3 mm). Patients were selected by transesophageal echocardiography. The mean ASD dimension was 25.3 +/- 3.7 mm and 33 (73%) patients had deficient anterior rim. Specific procedural details included the use of 13 or 14 Fr introducer sheaths and the right upper pulmonary vein approach if the conventional approach failed. There were two procedural failures, with device embolization in both (surgical retrieval in one, catheter retrieval in one). During follow-up (3-30 months; median, 16 months), one patient (59 years) with previous atrial flutter had pulmonary embolism and was managed with anticoagulation. Two patients developed symptomatic atrial flutter. Fluoroscopy time was 31.6 +/- 19.5 min for the first 22 cases and 19.6 +/- 11.4 min for the rest (P = 0.04). Transcatheter closure of large ASDs is technically feasible but careful long-term follow-up is needed to document its safety.

Background:Management of native uncomplicated coarctation in neonates remains controversial with current evidence favoring surgery. The logistics of organizing surgical repair at short notice in sick infants with critical coarctation can be challenging.Methods and Results:We reviewed data of 10 infants (mean age of 2.9 ±1.6 weeks) who underwent catheter intervention for severe coarctation and left ventricular (LV) dysfunction between July 2003 and August 2007. Additional cardiac lesions were present in 7. Mean systolic gradient declined from 51±12 mm Hg to 8.7±6.7 mm Hg after dilation. The coarctation segment was stented in five patients. Procedural success was achieved in all patients with no mortality. Complications included brief cardiopulmonary arrest (n =1), sepsis (n = 1) and temporary pulse loss (n = 2). LV dysfunction improved in all patients. Average ICU stay was 5±3.4 days and hospital stay was 6.5±3.4 days. On follow-up (14.1±10.5 months), all developed restenosis after median period of 12 weeks (range four to 28 weeks). Three (two with stents) underwent elective coarctation repair, two underwent ventricular septal defect (VSD) closure and coarctation repair and one underwent pulmonary artery (PA) banding. Two patients who developed restenosis on follow-up were advised surgery, but did not report. Two (one with stent) underwent redilatation and are being followed with no significant residual gradients.Conclusion:Balloon dilation ± stenting is an effective interim palliation for infants and newborns with critical coarctation and LV dysfunction. Restenosis is inevitable and requires to be addressed.

Ductal stenting is a less morbid method of left ventricular retraining in transposition of the great arteries with regressed left ventricle. Its major advantages lie in avoiding pulmonary artery distortion and neoaortic valve regurgitation resulting from banding and also in avoiding thoracotomy.

Transcatheter closure of large ducts >or=4 mm might be considered safe and effective in infants weighing

A congenital fistula between the right pulmonary artery and the left atrium is a rare condition that results in cyanosis. We report a successful catheter-based closure of such a fistula in a 12-year-old using an Amplatzer duct occluder. The patient also had an atrial septal defect that was closed with an Amplatzer septal occluder.

Residual flows following transcatheter coil or device closure of the patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) can result in hemolysis. Of 611 patients who underwent transcatheter PDA closure at our institution, 5 patients (age, 6-63 years) developed overt hemolysis (after coil occlusion in 4 and Amplazter device closure in 1). All had ducts > 3 mm and residual flows after the procedure. In one patient, hemolysis occurred 3 months after coil occlusion following a period of uncontrolled hypertension. The occurrence of hemolysis correlated significantly with both age as well as duct size (P < 0.00001). Hemolysis was associated with a fall in hemoglobin of 3-6 g/100 ml (n = 3), jaundice (n = 2), and renal failure (n = 1). Hemolysis subsided spontaneously in one patient and four patients required flow elimination. Deploying additional coils in three patients eliminated residual flows. In one patient (after Amplatzer device closure for 12.5 mm duct with aneurysm), flow persisted after 25 additional coils, transient balloon occlusion, and gel foam instillation. Flow elimination was eventually achieved through thrombin instillation after balloon occlusion of the ampulla. All patients recovered completely and were well on follow-up. Although hemolysis after duct occlusion is rare (0.8% in this series), residual flow at the end of the procedure merits careful monitoring. Aggressive elimination of residual flows is often necessary to control hemolysis.