Reconstruction of stenotic or occluded iliofemoral veins and inferior vena cava using intravascular stents: re-establishing access for future cardiac catheterization and cardiac surgery.

OBJECTIVES: The study evaluated the safety and efficacy of stent reconstruction of stenotic/occluded iliofemoral veins (IFV) and inferior vena cava (IVC). BACKGROUND: Patients with congenital heart defects and stenotic or occluded IFV/IVC may encounter femoral venous access problems during future cardiac surgeries or catheterizations. METHODS: Twenty-four patients (median age 4.9 years) underwent implantation of 85 stents in 22 IFV and 6 IVC. Fifteen vessels were severely stenotic and 13 were completely occluded. Although guide wires were easily passed across the stenotic vessels, occluded vessels required puncture through the thrombosed sites using a stiff wire or transseptal needle. Once traversed, the occluded site was dilated serially prior to stent implantation. RESULTS: Following stent placement, the mean vessel diameter increased from 0.9 +/- 1.6 to 7.4 +/- 2.6 mm (p < 0.05). Twenty-one of 28 vessels had long segment stenosis/occlusion requiring two to seven overlapping stents. Repeat catheterizations were performed in seven patients (9 stented vessels) at mean follow-up of 1.6 years. Seven vessels remained patent with mean diameter of 6.4 +/- 2.0 mm. Two vessels were occluded, but they were easily recanalized and redilated. Echocardiographic follow-up in two patients with IVC stents demonstrated wide patency. In four additional patients, a stented vessel was utilized for vascular access during subsequent cardiac surgery (n = 3) and endomyocardial biopsy (n = 1). Therefore, 13 of 15 stented vessels (87%) remained patent at follow-up thus far. CONCLUSIONS: Stenotic/obstructed IFV and IVC may be reconstructed using stents to re-establish venous access to the heart for future cardiac catheterization and/or surgeries.

Pediatric digital echocardiography: a study of the analog-to-digital transition.

Limited information is available that describes the practical conversion of a pediatric echocardiography laboratory from videotape to a primarily digital format. To help pediatric echocardiographers begin to make the analog-to-digital transition, we report our pediatric digital acquisition protocol and the acquisition and storage parameters of 1000 unselected, consecutive digitally acquired studies of pediatric patients with known or suspected congenital or acquired heart disease. With the use of our acquisition protocol, a complete normal study requires 46 moving clips and 12 still-frame images. Five hundred consecutive patient studies acquired with "high" JPEG (Joint Photographers Experts Group) compression (group 1) were compared with the next 500 examinations acquired using "medium" JPEG compression (group 2) for number of moving clips, still images, and megabytes of storage space. No intergroup difference was found in the number of moving clips or still images. When JPEG compression was decreased from high to medium, the average clip storage requirement per patient increased, and the number of patients stored per 230-MB magneto optical disk decreased significantly. Non-ECG-triggered timed single-plane clips and still images required significantly more storage space than ECG-triggered single-beat clips and still images. The frequency of multiplane sweeps was.03% and was independent of diagnosis. With the use of high JPEG compression, the digital storage cost per patient was $1.90, which was 6.0 times greater than that for simultaneously recorded 120-minute VHS videotape. Many features of the digital paradigm, including decreased MOD storage space, enhanced serial study comparisons, random image access, and improved image quality, mitigate this cost differential.

Effect of accessory pulmonary blood flow on survival after the bidirectional Glenn procedure.

BACKGROUND: The bidirectional Glenn procedure (BDG) is used in the staged surgical management of patients with a functional single ventricle. Controversy exists regarding whether accessory pulmonary blood flow (APBF) should be left at the time of BDG to augment systemic saturation or be eliminated to reduce volume load of the ventricle. The present study was a retrospective review of patients undergoing BDG that was conducted to assess the influence of APBF on survival rates. METHODS AND RESULTS: From 1986 through 1998, 149 patients have undergone BDG at our institution. Ninety-three patients had elimination of all sources of APBF, whereas 56 patients had either a shunt or a patent right ventricular outflow tract intentionally left in place to augment the pulmonary blood flow provided by the BDG. The operative mortality rate was 2.2% without APBF and 5.4% with APBF. The late mortality rate was 4.4% without APBF and 15.1% with APBF. Actuarial analysis demonstrates a divergence of the Kaplan-Meier curves in favor of patients in whom APBF was eliminated (P<0.02). One hundred seven patients have subsequently undergone completion of their Fontan operation, so the actuarial analysis includes the operative risk of this second operation. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that the elimination of APBF at the time of BDG may confer a long-term advantage for patients with a functional single ventricle.

Braided bronchus: a previously undescribed airway anomaly.

Infants with congenital heart disease frequently experience recurrent atelectasis, in many cases associated with anomalous branching of the bronchial tree. The bridging bronchus has been well described and has been associated with both left-sided obstructive lesions and a sling-like left pulmonary artery. We describe a similar, though distinct airway anomaly, the "braided bronchus," associated with a bridging bronchus in a child with coarctation of the aorta and recurrent atelectasis. Methods used to delineate the "braided bronchus" are described.

Percutaneous coil occlusion of patent ductus arteriosus.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the success rate and safety of percutaneous patient ductus arteriosus (PDA) coll occlusion. DESIGN: Thirty consecutive pediatric patients with small to moderate-size PDAs (minimum diameter < or = 4 mm) underwent percutaneous coll occlusion. The results were assessed by angiography and echocardiography. The mean age was 5.1 +/- 4.2 years (range, 0.8 to 18.8 years); mean weight was 19.2 +/- 10.3 kg (range, 8.1 to 40.0 kg). The mean minimum diameter of the PDA was 1.8 +/- 0.8 mm (range, 1.0 to 4.0 mm). RESULTS: PDA occlusion was achieved with one coil in 24 patients, 2 coils in 3 patients and 3 coils in 3 patients. The mean coil/PDA diameter ratio was 2.5 +/- 0.5. Immediately after coil occlusion, 29 PDAs had no flow by anglography; one had a small residual shunt. There were no significant complications. In the first 24 hours after coil implantation, echocardiography showed complete occlusion in 28 patients, a small left-to-right shunt in the same patient that had a residual shunt by anglography, and a trace shunt in one additional patient. In the two patients with residual flow by echocardiography, follow-up ultrasonography revealed no residual shunt 1 and 3 months later. At a mean follow-up of 11.8 +/- 9.3 months (range, 0 to 36.0 months), there was no PDA flow by color Doppler echocardiography in any of the 30 patients. CONCLUSION: Coil occlusion is a safe and effective method of percutaneous closure of small to moderate-size PDAs. The largest PDA that can be closed with this technique remains to be determined.

Partial anomalous left pulmonary artery: new evidence on the development of the pulmonary artery sling.

Clinical and angiographic data of a child with a unique form of partial anomalous left pulmonary artery are reported. Because the anomalous pulmonary artery does not run posterior to the trachea, this malformation is not associated with airway obstruction, as are all other forms of anomalous left pulmonary artery described to date. This case strengthens our understanding of the development of the pulmonary artery sling.

Accessory hepatic vein to pulmonary venous atrium as a cause of cyanosis after the Fontan operation.

The presence of an accessory hepatic vein to the pulmonary venous atrium should be considered in the setting of progressive cyanosis following the Fontan procedure. An inferior vena caval angiogram with "levo-phase" should demonstrate it. Surgical intervention or transcatheter occlusion should lead to prompt resolution of cyanosis.

Unusual "midseptal" sinus venosus defect.

An unusual case of an interatrial communication similar to a sinus venosus defect associated with an overriding pulmonary venous chamber is reported. There was no direct connection of the pulmonary venous system with either the superior vena cava or the low right atrium, as is usual with sinus venosus defects. This defect may represent the result of a sinus venosus defect associated with cor triatriatum.

Ebstein's malformation of the mitral valve: association with aortic obstruction.

Ebstein's malformation of the mitral valve is associated with high mortality, especially when it presents during the newborn period. Special attention should be given to the diagnosis of aortic obstruction in this unusual variant, as it is associated with a particularly poor prognosis.