We present two cases of patients with iatrogenic femoral arteriovenous fistula who underwent successful embolisation using three-dimensional shape detachable coils. A 49-year-old male with Tetralogy of Fallot had arteriovenous fistula which developed from the common femoral artery to the femoral vein with an aneurysm and a 17-year-old female with single ventricle after total-cavo-pulmonary-connection had two arteriovenous fistulas which developed from the internal iliac artery to the femoral vein. A total of six and seven pieces of detachable coils were necessary for complete occlusion, respectively. No complications were recorded. The advantage of the detachable coil is a wide variation and repositioning until the coil achieves good stabilisation and an ideal configuration.

Transcatheter closure of secundum-type atrial septal defects has become the treatment of choice in the majority of cases. Femoral venous access is the standard rout for device implantation. Anatomic abnormalities of venous system including interrupted inferior caval vein with azygous continuation can make the percutaneous procedure more complicated. In such instances, alternative methods of transjugular or transhepatic approach or surgical repair should be considered. We present the case of a 50-year-old male with secundum-type atrial septal defect and a rare form of segmental interruption of inferior caval vein and describe successful atrial septal defect closure through transfemoral approach.

We report the case of a 2-year-old girl who developed catastrophic haemoptysis due to an arterio-bronchial fistula after transcatheter balloon dilatation for a narrowing aortopulmonary shunt. We embolised the fistula while haemoptysis was controlled with the left bronchial block ventilation and haemostatic balloon occlusion of the left subclavian artery. An arterio-bronchial fistula is an extremely rare complication for balloon dilatation of an aortopulmonary shunt.

Coronary sinus defect is a rare type of atrial septal defect. We report two patients who had a coronary sinus atrial septal defect without persistent left superior caval vein, where the orifice of the coronary sinus was closed using the Amplatzer Septal Occluder. The procedure was successful, without any complications including conduction disturbance.

Percutaneous pulmonary valve implantation for conduit dysfunction in the right ventricular outflow tract is a safe and efficient treatment in selected patients. We report on a patient with stenosis and regurgitation of a homograft in the right ventricular outflow tract who developed complete atrioventricular block during percutaneous implantation of a Melody™ valve. This complete atrioventricular block spontaneously reverted to a stable sinus rhythm after 3 weeks.

We describe three children with chronic renal failure who developed mitral obstructive disease over a period when maintained on hemodialysis. The development and progression of the mitral disease was documented by cardiac catheterization in one child and by Doppler echocardiography in the other two children. These three patients had the lowest body weight among the 16 children undergoing chronic dialysis who were examined cardiologically in our hospital. Autopsy in one child who died from heart failure revealed marked thickening of the leaflets and subvalvar apparatus of the mitral valve with severe obliteration of the intercordal spaces. We found no sign of calcification at the mitral annulus nor at the attachments of the leaflets of the aortic valve, and no Ashoff bodies. We attempted percutaneous catheter balloon valvoplasty in one child which permitted successful renal transplantation after failure of an initial transplantation because of severe pulmonary venous congestion. We conclude that mitral obstructive disease could be a complication of long-term hemodialysis for chronic renal failure. Catheter intervention may serve to release the obstruction, although the procedure is not curative.

Percutaneous transcatheter embolization of the arterial duct, using new detachable coils, was performed in 19 patients aged from two to 16 years. The minimal ductal diameter ranged from 0.5 to 2.7 mm. We used a 5 mm diameter coil, 8 cm in length and/or an 8 mm diameter coil, which was 10 cm in length. The coil was connected to a delivery wire with a screw system, and could be detached by rotation of the delivery wire. The coil was straightened by inserting a mandril, with loops then being formed by withdrawal of the mandril. In all patients, the coil was advanced retrogradely and either one or two coils were successfully implanted. Implantation was performed in four patients without the catheter entering the pulmonary trunk across the arterial duct. The ductal ampulla was either absent or very small in five patients, so we implanted a coil which had been cut short. Angiography revealed no residual shunting in 14 patients (74%) and trace residual shunting in five patients. Migration of the coils to the pulmonary arteries, or to a systemic artery, did not occur in any patient. Follow-up using Doppler color flow imaging showed complete closure of the arterial duct in all patients (100%), and no turbulence either in the left pulmonary artery or in the descending aorta in any patient. The use of the new detachable coil may improve the accuracy of placement of the device and reduce the incidence of its migration.

We report a 3-month-old female infant, in whom pulmonary venous obstruction occurred after repair of totally anomalous pulmonary venous connection, and which was successfully released by a transcatheter implantation of a stent using the transseptal approach. Close follow-up is required, since the long-term outcome is still unclear. Nevertheless, transcatheter implantation of stents is a promising option for treating this challenging lesion.

Discordant atrioventricular connections associated with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome increase the challenge of radiofrequency ablation. We report the results and techniques of radiofrequency ablation in three patients with discordant atrioventricular connections, including one patient having double outlet right ventricle with atrioventricular reentry tachycardias. There were two males and one female, aged 14 and 22 years old. We found four accessory pathways during our electrophysiological studies, with two of them manifest on the electrocardiogram, corresponding to left paraseptal and right midseptal regions. The electrophysiological study confirmed this localization, and showed two concealed accessory pathways in the right and left paraseptal regions. Radiofrequency ablation was successful in all cases without recurrence at a mean follow-up of 18.6 months. No complications were observed during the procedures. We conclude that radiofrequency ablation is feasible and effective in the ablation of accessory pathways in patients with discordant atrioventricular connections.

Haemoptysis was the presenting symptom in a 27-year-old male. He had undergone a Mustard operation for connection of complete transposition at the age of 2 years. For 6 months prior to admission, he had complained of dyspnoea without chestpain, and swelling of the fingers during hard physical work. Chest radiography and computer tomographic scans showed normal features of the pulmonary parenchyma, and no sign of cardiomegaly or vascular stasis. Fiberoptic bronchoscopy demonstrated a blood clot in the upper right bronchus, without any associated abnormalities of the bronchial tree. Doppler echocardiography showed obstruction of the superior caval vein, which was verified by cardiac catheterization. Balloon dilation at the site of obstruction increased the diameter of the vein from 0.5 to 1.7 cm, and the mean pressure in the superior caval vein was reduced significantly from 18 to 10 mmHg. The haemoptysis did not recur, and no complaints of dyspnoea or swelling of fingers during physical activity was reported 2 years later. Transthoracic echocardiography undertaken at this time revealed no obstruction of the superior caval vein. We conclude that hemoptysis is a rare complication of increased venous pressure in the upper body of patients with superior caval venous obstruction, which can be treated by balloon dilation or stenting.

We report a 12-year-old child with anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the right coronary aortic sinus, the artery taking a proximal intramural course. The anomalous artery was reimplanted into the left coronary aortic sinus. Postoperative stenosis was successfully treated with percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and implantation of a stent.

Aim: To report results of transcatheter occlusion of moderate to large patent arterial ducts, having a minimum diameter above 2.5 mm, with the Amplatzer duct occluder, and to compare these with results achieved using Rashkind or Sideris devices and Cook detachable coils. Design and setting: Retrospective study conducted on intention-to-treat data from a tertiary referral centre. Patients: Since 1989, 116 consecutive patients, 77 females and 39 males, underwent percutaneous closure with several devices. We used the Rashkind double umbrella in 23 patients, the Sideris buttoned device in 39 patients, coils in 17 patients, and the Amplatzer duct occluder in 37 patients. The median age of the patients was 37 months, and the median weight 13 kg. The mean minimum diameter of the duct was 3.8 ± 1.22 mm, with a median of 3.5 mm, and range from 2.5 to 10 mm. Results: Implantation succeeded in all but 9 of the children (92%). The time of fluoroscopy was shorter, and full occlusion was better as judged on angiography, in patients closed using the Amplatzer device, despite closure of larger ducts, than in patients closed using other devices (p < 0.0001, p = 0.0003, and p = 0.0015 for the Rashkind, Sideris, and coils, respectively). Complications included embolisation in 2 patients, and haemolysis in 3 patients. In 12 patients, a second device was inserted because of residual shunting noted during follow-up. Complete occlusion was achieved earlier after implantation (p = 0.0002), and the rate of complete occlusion was better in patients receiving an Amplatzer device (97%, p = 0.024) than in patients undergoing closure with other devices. Conclusion: Transcatheter closure of moderate to large patent arterial ducts using the Amplatzer duct occluder is an effective and safe procedure, providing better results than those achieved using other occluders.

We report the interventional procedures performed on a 12-year-old child with obstruction of the right ventricular outflow tract, pulmonary valvar insufficiency, pulmonary arterial stenosis, and an atrial septal defect. A staged repair of all anomalies was performed successfully using transcatheter techniques.

A 53-year-old man with tetralogy of Fallot had been palliated with two classic Blalock-Taussig shunts. Cardiac catheterization in our center revealed acquired atresia of the pulmonary valve. We perforated and dilated the valve as a palliative procedure with a new system using radiofrequency energy.