Simultaneous kissing stent in a patient with severe bifurcation pulmonary vein stenosis

Pulmonary Vein Stenosis-Balloon Angioplasty Versus Stenting: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Pulmonary vein stenosis (PVS) may arise from a variety of conditions and result in major morbidity and mortality. In some patients, pharmacologic therapy may help, but more often in advanced stages, mechanical treatment must be considered. Transcatheter approaches, both balloon angioplasty (BA) and stent implantation, have been applied. Although both are effective, they continue to be limited by restenosis. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid Embase, Ovid Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Ovid Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Scopus were searched for English-language studies in humans published between January 1, 2010, and August 2, 2021. Two independent reviewers screened for studies in which BA or stenting was performed for PVS with reporting of restenosis outcomes, and data were independently extracted. A systematic review was performed, and overall restenosis rates were reported across all 34 included studies. Meta-analysis was then performed using RevMan version 5.4, assessing rates of restenosis and restenosis requiring reintervention. For restenosis rates, 4 studies treated in those studies with available data reported. For restenosis rates, 4 studies treated a total of 340 patients with 579 pulmonary vein interventions (225 with BA and 354 with stenting, mean follow-up 13-69 months). Restenosis requiring repeat intervention was reported in 3 studies, including 301 patients with 495 pulmonary vein interventions (157 with BA and 338 with stenting). Compared with BA, stenting was associated with both a lower risk for restenosis (risk ratio: 0.36; 95% CI: 0.18-0.73; P = 0.005) and a lower risk for restenosis requiring reintervention (RR: 0.36; 95% CI: 0.15-0.86; P = 0.02). For PVS intervention, restenosis and reintervention rates may be improved by stent implantation compared with BA.

Bifurcation pulmonary venoplasty and stenting for recalcitrant pulmonary vein stenosis after surgical pulmonary vein reconstruction

Pulmonary vein stenosis (PVS) is a rare, severe, and potentially fatal complication most often arising from pulmonary vein ablation for medication refractory, symptomatic, and permanent atrial fibrillation. At present, the optimal approach for the management of PVS remains to be defined. Here, we describe a unique case of bifurcation pulmonary venoplasty and stenting in a patient with recalcitrant PVS after surgical reconstruction of her pulmonary veins. To our knowledge, this is the first such report of its kind. <Learning objective: The optimal approach to managing complex pulmonary vein stenosis (PVS) is unclear. Our aim is to illustrate our successful approach for treating recalcitrant and complex PVS using dual transseptal access and kissing balloon bifurcation pulmonary venoplasty.>.