Hybrid stenting of aortic coarctation in very low birth weight premature infant

Repair of aortic coarctation in neonates less than two kilograms

OBJECTIVES

A significant number of low-birth-weight neonates are born with aortic coarctation. Previous studies of early operation on these patients have shown a high hospital mortality and recurrence at 1 year. We reviewed our data to ascertain whether modern approaches allow better outcomes for these children.

METHODS

Fourteen patients weighing <2 kg with isolated coarctation between January 2005 and December 2015 were studied by retrospective chart review to ensure >5 years follow-up. All patients underwent extended end-to-side surgical repair. In-hospital and medium-term follow-up data were collected. Data are expressed as median (range).

RESULTS

Weight at the time of surgery was 1.8 (1.5-1.9) kg. There were no deaths, in-hospital or during follow-up. In-hospital stay was 11 (4-47) days. At follow-up of 141 (80-207) months echocardiographic velocity across the repair was 1.6 (0.9-3.8) m/s. Two patients required balloon dilatations for recoarctation including 1 with William's syndrome who required balloon coarctoplasty followed by stenting. This patient had grossly abnormal vessels at the time of initial surgery with aortic wall thickness >3 mm. There were no central neurological complications. Other complications included vocal cord dysfunction in 1, development of chylothorax requiring prolonged chest drainage in 2, pneumothorax following chest drain removal in 1 and wound dehiscence in 1 patient.

CONCLUSIONS

Neonates below 2 kg can undergo coarctation repair safely with low incidence of recurrence. Waiting for growth in this cohort of patients may not therefore be justified.

Hybrid Interventions in Congenital Heart Disease

Hybrid interventions in congenital heart disease (CHD) embody the inherent collaboration between congenital interventional cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery. Hybrid approaches to complex and common lesions provide the opportunity to circumvent the limitations of patient size, vascular access, severity of illness, and anatomy that would otherwise be prohibitive to surgical and percutaneous techniques alone. This review describes several important hybrid approaches to interventions in CHD.

Successful bailout stenting for critical aortic coarctation in a premature baby weighing 590 g

Severe aortic coarctation (CoA) is a critical congenital heart disease that requires surgery as the first-line treatment in neonates. However, in very small premature infants, aortic arch repair has a relatively high mortality and morbidity rate. Bailout stenting is an alternative method that can be performed safely and effectively with low morbidity.We present a case of severe CoA in a premature baby, a monochorionic twin with selective intrauterine growth restriction. The patient was born at 31 weeks of gestation with a birth weight of 570 g. Seven days following her birth, she experienced anuria due to critical neonatal isthmic CoA. She underwent a stent implantation procedure at term neonatal, weighing 590 g. She had good dilatation of the coarcted segment with no complications. Follow-up at infancy showed no CoA recurrence. This is the world's smallest case of stenting for CoA.

Echocardiogram-Guided Stenting of a Critical Aortic Coarctation in an Extremely Low Weight Preterm Infant

We report a case of critical aortic coarctation in an extremely low birth weight preterm infant weighing 600 g that was successfully treated with interventional stent implantation. The intervention was guided by echocardiography without using contrast agent due to associated renal failure. (Level of Difficulty: Intermediate.).

Stenting of critical aortic coarctation in neonates between 600 and 1,350 g. Using a transfemoral artery approach. A single center experience

Background

Stenting of aortic coarctation (CoA) in newborns with a very low bodyweight remains rare and challenging. In this study we aim to highlight on two points: first the feasibility of CoA stenting in such babies and second the importance of using echocardiogram for guiding the intervention without the need for contrast agent.

Methods

Between 2020 and 2022 three preterm babies with very low (VLWB) and extremely low weight (ELWB) underwent CoA-stenting in our center. The weight of the patients at time of intervention was 1,350, 1,200, and 600 g, respectively. The femoral artery was chosen in all patients as vascular access. Transthoracic echocardiography, sonography of the femoral arteries and head ultrasound were applied for follow up.

Results

All three interventions were successfully done, with no complications. Coronary stents were implanted. In one Patient (1,350 g) the stent was inserted without sheath. In two patients with renal failure, the stenting was performed under echocardiography-guidance without contrast agent. The follow up showed a preserved function of the left ventricle in all patients. No relevant gradient was reported and no stent re-intervention was required. Sonographic follow up showed a patent femoral artery in all patients. Two patients were operated 73 and 110 days after stenting, and the stents were successfully removed. In the third patient the intervention was performed 130 days ago and he is waiting for the operation.

Conclusion

CoA-stenting in VLWB and ELWB is feasible and can bridge them to the next surgery without complications. Echocardiography-guided CoA-stenting in VLWB is a considerate option especially in patients with renal failure. Accessing the femoral artery by experienced doctors, using local anesthesia before the puncture and before removing the sheath might help to protect the vessel from stenosis or occlusion.

First use and limitations of Magmaris® bioresorbable stenting in a low birth weight infant with native aortic coarctation

We, herein, report the first use of a Magmaris® magnesium-based vascular scaffold for native aortic coarctation in a 1,980 g infant with multiple malformations. Due to the low body weight, complex illness, and clinical instability, it was decided to delay surgical correction. After insufficient results had been obtained by balloon angioplasty, Magmaris® implantation was chosen to bridge the patient to surgery by stabilizing left ventricular function and to allow for sufficient growth. Due to significant early stent restenosis and complete loss of radial force, the patient required balloon reangioplasty only 21 days after Magmaris® implantation and early surgical correction. In addition, high systemic sirolimus levels were detected 48 hr after the intervention (5 ng/mL). Although the bioresorbable scaffold was successfully used as a short-term bridge-to-surgery in our case, due to significant early stent failure (loss of radial force), this approach does not seem promising for long-term bridging of infants with aortic coarctation. In addition, the consequences of sirolimus-induced systemic immunosuppression may further limit the applicability of Magmaris® scaffolds in infants with congenital heart disease.

"Intraoperative hybrid stenting of recurrent coarctation and arch hypoplasia with large stents in patients with univentricular hearts"

BACKGROUND

Obstruction of the reconstructed aortic arch, tubular hypoplasia and recurrent coarctation (RC) is an important risk factor in univentricular physiology. For the past two years we have adopted the concept of intraoperative hybrid stenting of RC and arch hypoplasia with large stents in patients with univentricular hearts as standard care procedure.

METHOD/RESULT

Retrospective analysis of the anatomy and procedural outcome of 14 patients was scheduled for intraoperative stenting of the aortic arch (12 during surgery for BCPS, 2 during Fontan completion). The median age was 5.3 months, weight 5.5 kg, height 62 cm. Five patients had tubular hypoplasia and 9 patients had distal stenosis of the aortic arch. Nine patients had a previous balloon dilatation. The mean diameter of the distal arch was 11.0mm, at the coarctation 5.1mm, at the level of the diaphragm 8.2mm (CoA-index 0.62). Intraoperative stenting was performed in 13/14 patients. Stents were implanted with a mean balloon diameter of 10.8mm (SD 3.4mm). The achieved final mean diameter was 9.8mm (mean, SD 2.8mm) with an oversized Coa-index of 1.2. There was no re-coarctation at a mean follow-up of 7.3 months (range 3 to 24), the maximum flow velocity of 2m/s across the stented lesion assessed by ECHO.

CONCLUSION

This hybrid approach is an easy and safe concept to manage recurrent aortic arch hypoplasia and stenosis. The use of large stents allows redilatation to adult size diameters later on.

Miniinvasive interventional bridge to major surgical repair of critical aortic coarctation in a newborn with severe multiorgan failure

We present a case of a severely ill newborn with complex coarctation, multiorgan failure and massive oedema, who was treated with emergency stenting of the isthmus on the second day of life, which was followed by surgical stent removal and repair of the arch on the 29^th day, after stabilization of his general status. Interventional percutaneous direct stent implantation was performed, using a coronary stent (Abbott Multi-Link Vision Coronary Stent 3.5 mm/15 mm, USA) to cover the area of the aortic isthmus in the newborn. The area from the origin of the left subclavian artery to the beginning of the descending thoracic aorta beneath the isthmus was widely expanded. Control angiography showed normal size of the isthmus without a systolic gradient in the area. In the next 3 weeks the boy improved his general status, with normalization of liver and renal parameters, as well as resolution of the oedema, and underwent surgery on his 29^th day of life. The procedure of stent removal with aortic extended end-to-end anastomosis was performed without complications, and the infant was transferred to general paediatrics for further treatment. The strategy of miniinvasive interventional bridge to postpone major surgical repair was effective in the presented infant, with positive final results of both cardiological intervention and subsequent surgical repair.