Transcatheter closure of atrial septal defect using self-expandable septal occluder.

Transcatheter closure of atrial septal defect is an accepted alternative to surgical closure. It was attempted in 63 patients (age range 1.5-55 years) using self-expandable Amplatzer septal occluder (AGA Med. Co., USA). The atrial septal anatomy was evaluated by transthoracic and multiplane transoesophageal echocardiography with special reference to septal margins and adjacent structures. The size of atrial septal defect on echocardiographic evaluation varied from 9-28 (17.5 +/- 4.7) mm. Fifty (79.4%) patients had adequate septal margins of 5 mm or larger, while remaining 13 (20.6%) had insufficient anterosuperior margin. Cardiac catheterisation revealed Qp/Qs ranging from 1.5 to 5.3 and balloon-stretched atrial septal defect diameter of 10-32 (20.3 +/- 5.3) mm. The procedure was overall successful in 62 (98.4%) patients and in all patients with insufficient anterosuperior margin. Embolisation of the device occurred in one (1.6%) patient within five minutes of the device release, which could not be retrieved non-surgically. Size of the device used was either same or preferably 1-3 mm more than the balloon-stretched atrial septal defect diameter. Total procedure time was 40-90 (59 +/- 12.4) minutes and the fluoroscopy time was 12-30 (17.3 +/- 4.2) minutes. Immediate post-procedure and pre-discharge echocardiography in patients with successful deployment of the device revealed complete abolition of shunt in 61 (98.4%) and trivial residual shunt in one (1.6%) patient. No patient developed atrioventricular valve regurgitation or cardiac arrhythmias. Thus, atrial septal defect closure using self-expandable septal occluder is a safe and efficacious procedure requiring a short procedural time. There is full control in the system for proper positioning or repositioning of the device with excellent technical success rate even in cases with insufficient anterosuperior septal margin.

Transcatheter coil occlusion of persistent ductus arteriosus using detachable steel coils: short-term results.

Twenty patients underwent transcatheter occlusion of persistent ductus arteriosus (PDA), 1.5-5.5 mm in diameter, with detachable steel coils. A coil having a diameter at least twice that of the narrowest ductal diameter was used. Procedural success was achieved in all, using a single coil in 14 and multiple coils in the remaining 6. At follow-up after 2-12 (6.7 +/- 2.8) months, continuous murmur persisted in only one patient, while 4 (20%) patients had residual shunt on Doppler colour-flow imaging. There was no instance of coil embolisation, thromboembolism, intravascular haemolysis, local vascular complication or sepsis. Transcatheter occlusion of PDA with detachable coils is a safe, technically easy and cost-effective method with the added advantage of feasibility in small children.