Problems encountered during introduction of Gianturco coils for transcatheter occlusion of the patent arterial duct.

OBJECTIVE: To define the problems encountered during transcatheter occlusion of the patent arterial duct using Gianturco coils. METHODS: Between January 1994 and November 1995, 93 patients were admitted in whom it was intended to occlude the patent arterial duct using Gianturco coils. Anterograde transcatheter coil occlusion was performed via the femoral vein in 81 patients. In the remaining 12 the procedure was done via the femoral artery. RESULTS: Coils were implanted successfully in 82/93 (88%) patients. In 11 patients the procedure was a failure. In 19/93 patients (20%), inadvertent embolization of the coil occurred. The coils were retrieved in all except one patient. In 17 of these patients, new coils were then reimplanted successfully. Doppler echocardiography after the procedure showed that in 9/82 (11%) patients the left pulmonary artery Doppler peak velocity exceeded 1.5 m.s-1 (mean 1.2 m.s-1) raising concern about left pulmonary artery branch stenosis. The complete occlusion rate at discharge from hospital was 72/82 (88%). Follow-up ranges from 1 day to 14 months (mean 2/12 months) in the 82 patients in whom successful deployment of coils was possible. In two patients, the arterial duct became occluded at follow-up. One additional patient had complete occlusion after reocclusion using another coil. Thus, after short-term follow-up a total of 75/82 patients (91.4%) have a completely occluded arterial duct after coil implantation. CONCLUSION: Transcatheter occlusion of the patent arterial duct using Gianturco coils is an effective and safe technique. In the learning curve there is a relatively high rate of inadvertent embolization, but the coils can be retrieved in the vast majority of patients. The complication rate is offset by the high early occlusion rate and the inexpensiveness of the procedure.