Successful coronary stenting in a 4-year-old child

Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty in a two-month old with coronary stenosis presenting as congenital cardiomyopathy: acute results and intermediate follow-up

Congenital or nonsurgically acquired obstructive coronary artery disease in infancy is exceedingly rare, and previous reports of catheter-based therapies in very young patients have been solely in patients having undergone arterial switch or other cardiovascular surgical procedures. We describe a previously unreported cause for ventricular dysfunction and heart failure in an infant, isolated congenital circumflex coronary artery stenosis, and successful treatment with percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty. Technical considerations, immediate results, and 3-year follow-up are provided.

Intraoperative rescue by placement of a stent following a surgical coronary arterial injury in a child

An acute injury to a coronary artery was recognized during the surgical construction of the Fontan circulation. Surgical manipulation of the site of injury was not successful in restoring normal myocardial blood flow. A stent was therefore placed intraoperatively under direct vision, with restoration of normal coronary arterial flow acutely and at short-term follow-up.

Intravascular and intracardiac stents used in congenital heart disease

Intravascular or intracardiac stenoses occur in many forms of congenital heart disease or after attempted surgical repair. Although balloon dilation is one option for management, restenosis can occur due to elastic recoil immediately after the procedure. To address to such stenotic lesions, many reports support implanting endovascular stents to provide a framework for vessel expansion. Both balloon-expandable fixed tubular mesh stainless steel devices, and self-expandable stents have had an extensive clinical application. In pediatric patients, stents are used for a variety of stenoses, such as systemic venous obstruction pathways (eg, Mustard, Fontan baffle, or bidirectional cavopulmonary connections), pulmonary artery, right ventricular to pulmonary conduits, aortic coarctation, the arterial duct, aorticopulmonary collaterals, or postoperative systemic to pulmonary shunts. Because of improvements in device profile, implantation rates have increased. Complications such as stent fracture, migration, aneurysm formation, and in-stent restenosis occur but only rarely. This latter event may be because of intimal hyperplasia and/or continued vessel (and patient) growth related to the stent diameter. As such, some instances require redilation to manage the acquired lesion. Stent application has importantly altered management algorithms in congenital heart disease.

Right coronary artery occlusion as a complication of accessory pathway ablation in a 12-year-old treated with stenting

We describe a complication of radiofrequency ablation of a posteroseptal pathway that resulted in acute occlusion of a distal right coronary artery in a pediatric patient. The complication was treated with coronary stenting after unsuccessful angioplasty.