Long-Term Outcomes of Native Coarctation of the Aorta after Balloon Angioplasty or Surgical Aortoplasty in Newborns and Young Infants Less Than 3 Months of Age.

BACKGROUND: Balloon angioplasty of native coarctation of the aorta, though effective, is frequently associated with early restenosis, repeated interventions and aneurysm formation, especially in very young patients. However, available long-term data are limited. METHODS: From Jan. 1986 to Dec. 2007, eighty-eight patients with simple aortic coarctation, isolated or associated with patent ductus arteriosus or ventricular septal defect, and survived angioplasty (n = 17) or surgery (n = 71) within 3 months of age in National Taiwan University Hospital were enrolled. RESULTS: The average length of follow-up was 10.1 ± 5.1 years. The long-term outcomes between these two groups were comparable in hypertension, left ventricular outflow tract obstruction, and aortic aneurysm. Patients in the angioplasty group had a greater likelihood of reintervention (64.7% vs. 42.3%, p = 0.096) and repeated reintervention (29.4% vs. 7.0%, p = 0.027) as compared with surgery group. The 10-year freedom from reintervention was 35.3% and 59.2% in the angioplasty and surgery group, respectively (p = 0.046); there were no deaths reported in that 10-year span. Patients with angioplasty and those with patent ductus arteriosus were more likely to require surgical aortoplasty at reintervention. CONCLUSIONS: The long-term outcomes of aortic coarctation in newborns and young infants after balloon angioplasty were effective and beneficial. However, those outcomes were accompanied by concomitant higher risks of reintervention and surgical reintervention, particularly in those with patent ductus arteriosus. KEY WORDS: Aortic operation; Coarctation; Infant; Outcomes.

Clinical manifestations and outcomes of constrictive pericarditis in children.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Constrictive pericarditis (CP) is rare in children. The purpose of this study was to define the clinical manifestations and outcomes of this disease. METHODS: From January 1985 through December 2003, 8 patients with surgically confirmed CP were enrolled. Data on clinical characteristics, disease manifestations, treatment, and outcomes were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: One patient had l-transposition of the great arteries (l-TGA); the other 7 patients had no underlying cardiovascular diseases. None of the patients had direct evidence of tuberculous infection. Age at disease onset ranged from 8 months to 13 years (median, 10 years), and the interval between symptom onset and correct diagnosis ranged from 2 to 31 months (median, 12 months). Major symptoms and signs included abdominal distension, hepatomegaly, neck vein engorgement and ascites. Evidence of calcification on chest roentgenogram was found in 1 patient (12.5%). Computed tomography or magnetic resonance image studies showed pericardial thickening in 6 patients (75%). Seven patients underwent cardiac catheterization, and all hemodynamic data met the diagnostic criteria for CP. All patients with structurally normal hearts survived during a median follow-up of 31 months after pericardiectomy (range, 5 to 103 months). The patient with l-TGA died of pneumonia 1 year after pericardiectomy. CONCLUSIONS: Symptoms and signs of right heart failure were common in children with CP. The etiology of CP remains largely unknown. Patients with structurally normal hearts have good outcomes after pericardiectomy.

Late cardiovascular complications after surgical or balloon angioplasty of coarctation of aorta in an Asian cohort.

Late cardiovascular complications after intervention for coarctation of the aorta (CoA) might be common. Such data, especially in Asian populations, are still limited. A total of 169 patients with CoA who survived balloon (n = 41) or surgical (n = 128) intervention from 1986 to 2004 were enrolled. The total follow-up was 1,776 patient-years, and the patient age at last follow-up was 14.7 +/- 8.5 years. Reintervention for recoarctation, systemic hypertension, and left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (LVOTO) was subsequently noted in 57 (34%), 36 (21.3%), and 24 (14.2%) patients, respectively, without significant differences between the balloon and surgical groups. The 20-year freedom from reintervention, systemic hypertension, and LVOTO rate was 52%, 78.6%, and 80.8% in the balloon group and 59%, 51%, and 81.9% in the surgical group, respectively. The age at CoA intervention and the aortic geometry after CoA intervention of gothic type were common risk factors for reintervention for recoarctation and late systemic hypertension. In contrast, the presence of bicuspid aortic valves and gothic arch geometry after CoA intervention increased the risk of LVOTO. Plasma renin/aldosterone activities were not elevated in those with or without systemic hypertension. In conclusion, the profile of reintervention for recoarctation and late systemic hypertension after CoA interventions in our Asian cohort with CoA was similar to that observed in white patients. Asian patients might have a lower risk of LVOTO.