Perventricular device closure of doubly committed sub-arterial ventricular septal defects via a left infra-axillary approach

A Retrospective Study in Occluding Sub-arterial Ventricular Septal Defect

To assess the safety and effectiveness of utilizing eccentric occlusion for the treatment of sub-arterial ventricular septal defects, we performed a retrospective study on the classification and analysis of relevant cases. A total of 105 patients with a minimally invasive incision were enrolled in this study, from April 2018 to September 2022. All patients underwent treatment of transthoracic sub-arterial ventricular septal defect occlusion. We analyzed the causes of closure failure, indication, and complication. Briefly, the closure device was successfully implanted in 78 cases (74.2%) with a mean age of 31.4 ± 31.8 months, VSD size of 4.3 ± 0.9 mm, and device size of 6.0 ± 1.1 mm. However, 27 cases (25.8%) required cardiopulmonary bypass due to failure of occlusion. The reasons for failure included 13 cases with worsened aortic regurgitation, two cases with worsened aortic valve prolapse, one case with worsened mitral regurgitation, eight cases with significant residual shunt, and three cases with deviated occlusion morphology. During the 1-36-month follow-up visit, no cases experienced displacement of the eccentric umbrella, shedding, or arrhythmia. All residual shunts resolved during the visit. We concluded that occlusion for sub-arterial VSD has sufficient security and feasibility, under the strict control of surgical indications, appropriate choice of occluder and precise perioperative management.

Percutaneous Transcatheter Closure of Congenital Ventricular Septal Defects

Ventricular septal defects (VSDs) are the most common kind of congenital heart disease and, if indicated, surgical closure has been accepted as a gold-standard treatment. However, as less-invasive methods are preferred, percutaneous device closure has been developed. After the first VSD closure was performed percutaneously by Lock in 1988, both techniques and devices have developed consistently. A perventricular approach for closure of muscular VSD in small patients and the closure of perimembranous VSD using off-label devices are key remarkable developments. Even though the Amplatzer membranous VSD occluder (Abbott) could not be approved for use due to the high complete atrioventricular conduction block rate, other new devices have shown good results for closure of perimembranous VSDs. However, the transcatheter technique is slightly complicated to perform, and concerns about conduction problems after VSD closure with devices remain. There have been a few reports demonstrating successful closure of subarterial-type VSDs with Amplatzer devices, but long-term issues involving aortic valve damage have not been explored yet. In conclusion, transcatheter VSD closure should be accepted as being as effective and safe as surgery but should only be performed by experienced persons and in specialized institutes because the procedure is complex and requires different techniques. To avoid serious complications, identifying appropriate patient candidates for device closure before the procedure is very important.

Analysis and comparison of failure causes of minimally invasive surgical closure of ventricular septal defects in children

Objectives

The aims of the present study were to explore the causes of minimally invasive surgical ventricular septal defect (VSD) closure failure under transesophageal echocardiography guidance and thus to improve the success rate of surgical VSD closure.

Methods

From January 2015 to December 2019, 522 children with VSD underwent minimally invasive surgical closure. Nineteen procedures (3.64%) were unsuccessful. The failure causes, VSD locations and surgical incision approaches were retrospectively analyzed.

Results

Among the 19 patients (3.64%) with unsuccessful outcomes, 18 were switched to cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) surgery, and 1 was closed successfully using an occlusion device a year later. The causes of failure included occlusion device shedding or shifting (n=6), failure of the guidewire (or the sheath) to pass through a small defect (n=5), device-related valve regurgitation (n=4), significant residual shunt (n=2), ventricular fibrillation (n=1), and continuous sharp blood pressure decreases (n=1). Patients with high VSD had a slightly higher failure rate than those with perimembranous VSD (p=0.049), and its key reason is the high proportion of occlusion device shedding or shifting (p=0.001). No significant difference in the failure rate was found between patients with different surgical incision approaches.

Conclusions

Minimally invasive surgery has a high success rate for perimembranous VSDs. Occlusion device shedding or shifting is the most common cause of failure. The shedding or shifting risk of eccentric occlusion devices being used only for high VSDs is much greater than that of concentric occlusion devices being used for perimembranous VSDs, which increases the risk of conversion to CPB surgery for high VSDs.

Transfemoral Occlusion of Doubly Committed Subarterial Ventricular Septal Defect Using the Amplatzer Duct Occluder-II in Children

Backgrounds

The traditional treatment of doubly committed subarterial ventricular septal defect (dcVSD) is open-heart surgery. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility, safety, and outcome of transcatheter closure of small dcVSD using Amplatzer duct occluder-II (ADO-II) in children.

Methods

Between January 2016 and April 2021, 24 children (17 male and 7 female patients) with small dcVSD who received transfemoral closure with ADO-II were enrolled retrospectively. All of their available clinical and follow-up data were evaluated.

Results

The patients' median age was 3.2 years (1.6–12.6 years, 4.2 ± 3.1 years) and body weight was 13.3 kg (10.0–38.5 kg, 16.5 ± 7.7 kg). Left ventricular angiography showed that the median dcVSD size was 2.0 mm (1.5–3.5 mm, 2.1 ± 0.6 mm). The device was successfully implanted in 23 patients (95.8%), and one patient failed to be closed because of the underestimation of defect size due to preoperative aortic valve prolapse, with 16 patients by the antegrade approach and eight patients by retrograde approach. The diameters of the device used were 3/4, 4/4, and 5/4 mm. The median operative time was 40.0 min (20.0–75.0 min, 41.7 ± 13.7 min), and the median fluoroscopic time was 5.0 min (3.0–25.0 min, 6.8 ± 5.0 min). With a follow-up duration of 1+ to 45+ months, only 1 patient presented with new-onset mild aortic regurgitation (AR).

Conclusion

Transfemoral closure of small dcVSD with ADO-II is technically feasible and safe in the selected children. However, the development or worsening of AR requires long-term follow-up.

A review of the therapeutic management of multiple ventricular septal defects

BACKGROUND AND AIM

We showed in our anatomical review, ventricular septal defects existing as multiple entities can be considered in terms of three major subsets. We address here the diagnostic challenges, associated anomalies, the role and techniques of surgical instead of interventional closure, and the outcomes, including reinterventions, for each subset.

METHODS

We reviewed 80 published investigations, noting radiographic findings, and the results of clinical imaging elucidating the location, number, size of septal defects, associated anomalies, and the effect of severe pulmonary hypertension.

RESULTS

Overall, perioperative mortality for treatment of residual multiple defects has been cited to be between 0% and 14.2%, with morbidity estimated between 6% and 13%. Perioperative mortality is twice as high for perimembranous compared to muscular defects, with the need for reoperation being over four times higher. Perventricular hybrid approaches are useful for the closure of high anterior or apical defects. Overall, the results have been unsatisfactory. Pooled data reveals incidences between 2.8% and 45% for device-related adverse events. Currently, however, outcomes cannot be assessed on the basis of the different anatomical subsets.

CONCLUSIONS

We have addressed the approaches, and the results, of therapeutic treatment in terms of coexisting discrete defects, the Swiss-cheese septum, and the arrangement in which a solitary apical muscular defect gives the impression of multiple defects when viewed from the right ventricular aspect. Treatment should vary according to the specific combination of defects.

A study on eccentric occluder via ultra minimal incision of doubly committed subarterial ventricular septal defects

OBJECT

To compare the clinical data of sternotomy and left intercostals incision, combined with the literature, to provide the best surgical incision for committed subarterial ventricular septal defect (DCS-VSD).

METHODS

From July 2016 to July 2020, a total of 117 cases of occlusion surgeries for DCSVSD, which guided by transoesophagel echocardiography (TEE) were completed, including 34 cases with sternotomy incision and 83 cases with left intercostal incision. Statistics and analysis of the operation and follow-up.

RESULTS

A total of 115 cases successfully occluded, the successful rate was 98.29%, and 1 case failed in each group. Pericardial effusion occurred in five children after the drainage device was removed, and the pericardial effusion disappeared after diuretic treatment. There was no statistical difference between the two groups in operation time, occlusion time, thoracotomy time and postoperative hospital stay. All the children recovered and were discharged from the hospital, and were followed-up for 2-30 months after operation.

CONCLUSION

TEE-guided intercostal DCS-VSD occlusion is safe and effective. There is no statistical difference between two approach with the operation time, chest opening and closing time, occluder placing time, and postoperative hospital staying. At the same time, the surgical incision by intercostal incisionis smaller and the operation invasion is less, it is a surgical approach which worth to develop.

Hybrid Transthoracic Periventricular Device Closure of Ventricular Septal Defects: Single- Center Experience

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the efficacy of hybrid transthoracic periventricular device closure of ventricular septal defects (VSDs) in a single center.

METHODS

All patients who underwent hybrid transthoracic periventricular device closure of VSDs between January 2018 and December 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. The preoperative, operative and postoperative findings and clinical follow-ups were reviewed.

RESULTS

A total of 59 patients underwent the procedure. Transesophageal echocardiographic guidance was used in all procedures. The procedure was successful in 57 procedures (97%). The procedures of two patients were changed to openheart surgery during the same intervention due to severe aortic insufficiency (the device was not deployed) and significant residual shunt after device deployment. One major complication (1.7%) was observed after the procedure. The patient's device was dislodged within 12 hours after the procedure, and this patient underwent device extraction and VSD patch closure due to significant residual shunt. Eight (14%) minor complications were observed after the procedure, and three of them persisted during follow-up. Three of these eight complications were incomplete right bundle branch block, one of which resolved during followup; two were mild residual shunts, one of which resolved during follow-up; two were mild new-onset tricuspid valve insufficiencies; and one was mild new-onset mitral valve insufficiency; all valvular insufficiencies were resolved during follow-up.

CONCLUSION

Hybrid transthoracic periventricular device closure of VSD seems to be a good alternative approach due to its procedural success and low risk rates. The best advantage of the procedure is the possibility of switching to open-heart surgery, if necessary.

A meta-analysis of perventricular device closure of doubly committed subarterial ventricular septal defects

Background

To investigate the safety and efficacy of perventricular device closure of doubly committed subarterial ventricular septal defects (dcsVSDs).

Methods

PubMed and Scopus were searched for studies in English that focused on perventricular device closure of dcsVSDs and were published up to the end of September 2019. We used a random-effects model to obtain pooled estimates of the success and complication rates.

Results

A total of 9 publications including 459 patients with dcsVSDs were included. The median follow-up duration ranged from 2 months to 5 years, with the mean age of patients ranging from 6.1 months to 4.5 years. The pooled estimate of the overall success rate of device closure in the 9 studies was 0.89 (95% CI: 0.86–0.93, I² = 26.5%, P = 0.208). Further meta-regression analysis indicated no significant correlation between the success rate and the following factors: publication year, sample size, study type, mean age, mean weight, mean VSD size, and ratio of device size/weight. The pooled rate of postoperative aortic regurgitation was 0.045 (95% CI: 0.018–0.071, I² = 50.96%, P = 0.000). The pooled rate of follow-up aortic regurgitation (AR) was 0.001 (95% CI, − 0.003-0.004, I² = 63.00%, P = 0.009.) The pooled estimated rate of severe intraoperative complications was 0.106 (0.073–0.140, I² = 70.7%, P = 0.208). Postoperative and follow-up complications were rare. No occurrence of a complete atrioventricular block was reported up to the last follow-up visit.

Conclusions

Perventricular device closure may be an alternative to conventional surgical repair in selected patients with dcsVSDs. The success rate was stable regarding the publication year and sample size, suggesting a relatively short learning curve and the technique’s potential for application.

A hybrid approach for patent ductus arteriosus closure using the Amplatzer Duct Occluder

OBJECTIVE

We performed closure of the patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) using a hybrid approach with an Amplatzer Duct Occluder.

METHODS

Six patients (two males and four females) underwent PDA closure at a mean age of 7.8 months (range 2-24 months) and a mean weight of 6.6 kg (range 4.5-13 kg). The main pulmonary artery (MPA) was exposed via a minimally invasive left parasternal second intercostal space incision. Under transesophageal echocardiography guidance, the PDA occluder was implanted via direct puncture of the MPA.

RESULTS

The procedure was successful in all patients with no residual shunt. There were no hospital deaths, and the postoperative course was uneventful. All patients were discharged on the 3rd to 4th day. There was no residual shunt in any patient on midterm follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

The novel hybrid approach is a safe, minimal invasive procedure. Further experience and longer follow-up of these patients is necessary to conclude whether this technique is applicable to all the patients with a PDA.