Catheterisation laboratory is the place for rehabilitating the pulmonary arteries

Endovascular Treatment for Peripheral Pulmonary Arterial Stenosis in RNF213-Related Vasculopathy

This brief report reviews the clinical, procedural, and imaging data of 7 patients with p.Arg4810Lys variant of the ring finger protein 213 (RNF213) gene-related peripheral pulmonary arterial stenosis who underwent percutaneous transluminal pulmonary angioplasties (PTPAs) for demographics, clinical presentation, indications for angioplasty, and procedural and clinical outcomes. During median follow-up of 64.4 months since the first confirmed diagnosis, PTPA was performed for 62 segmental pulmonary arteries with 38 sessions of the procedure in 7 patients. Vascular stent placement because of resistance to balloon dilation and immediate elastic recoil was performed in 48 of 62 procedures (77%). Except for 1 death, 6 patients showed an improvement in dyspnea and 5 patients showed a decrease in mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mean, 55.5-42.7 mm Hg) and increase in 6-minute walk distance (mean, 415.5-484.3 m). Reperfusion edema occurred in 4 of 7 patients (57%), which was 6 of 38 sessions (16%).

Ultra-high pressure balloon angioplasty for pulmonary artery stenosis in children with congenital heart defects: Short- to mid-term follow-up results from a retrospective cohort in a single tertiary center

Objective

Balloon angioplasty (BA) has been the treatment of choice for pulmonary artery stenosis (PAS) in children. There remains, however, a significant proportion of resistant lesions. The ultra-high pressure (UHP) balloons might be effective in a subset of these lesions. In this study, we analyzed the safety and efficacy with short- to mid-term follow-up results of UHP BA for PAS in children with congenital heart defects (CHD) in our center.

Methods

This is a retrospective cohort study in a single tertiary heart center. Children diagnosed with PAS associated with CHD were referred for UHP BA. All data with these children were collected for analysis with updated follow-up.

Results

A total of 37 UHP BAs were performed consecutively in 28 children. The success rate was 78.4%. A significantly (P = 0.005) larger ratio of the balloon to the minimal luminal diameter at the stenotic waist (balloon/waist ratio) was present in the success group (median 3.00, 1.64-8.33) compared to that in the failure group (median 1.94, 1.41 ± 4.00). Stepwise logistic regression analysis further identified that the balloon/waist ratio and the presence of therapeutic tears were two independent predictors of procedural success. The receiver operating characteristic curve revealed a cut-off value of 2.57 for the balloon/waist ratio to best differentiate success from failure cases. Signs of therapeutic tears were present in eight cases, all of whom were in the success group. Perioperative acute adverse events were recorded in 16 patients, including 11 pulmonary artery injuries, three pulmonary hemorrhages, and two pulmonary artery aneurysms. During a median follow-up period of 10.4 (0.1-21.0) months, nine cases experienced restenosis at a median time of 40 (4-325) days after angioplasty.

Conclusions

The UHP BA is safe and effective for the primary treatment of PAS in infants and children with CHD. The success rate is high with a low incidence of severe complications. The predictors of success are a larger balloon/waist ratio and the presence of therapeutic tears. The occurrence of restenosis during follow-up, however, remains a problem. A larger number of cases and longer periods of follow-up are needed for further study.

Treatment of Peripheral Pulmonary Artery Stenosis

Peripheral pulmonary artery stenosis (PAS) is an abnormal narrowing of the pulmonary vasculature and can form anywhere within the pulmonary artery tree. PAS is a congenital or an acquired disease, and its severity depends on the etiology, location, and number of stenoses. Most often seen in infants and young children, some symptoms include shortness of breath, fatigue, and tachycardia. Symptoms can progressively worsen over time as right ventricular pressure increases, leading to further complications including pulmonary artery hypertension and systolic and diastolic dysfunctions. The current treatment options for PAS include simple balloon angioplasty, cutting balloon angioplasty, and stent placement. Simple balloon angioplasty is the most basic therapeutic option for proximally located PAS. Cutting balloon angioplasty is utilized for more dilation-resistant PAS vessels and for more distally located PAS. Stent placement is the most effective option seen to treat the majority of PAS; however, it requires multiple re-interventions for serial dilations and is generally reserved for PAS vessels that are resistant to angioplasty.

Single-center outcome analysis comparing reintervention rates of surgical arterioplasty with stenting for branch pulmonary artery stenosis in a pediatric population

Although catheter-based intervention is generally accepted as the treatment of choice for branch pulmonary artery (PA) stenosis, there are no data directly comparing both the need for reintervention and time to reintervention in patients undergoing transcatheter stenting versus surgical arterioplasty. We compared children who underwent surgical branch pulmonary arterioplasty and branch PA stent placement between January 2008 and May 2012 at a single tertiary center. Need for reintervention and mean time to reintervention were assessed using chi-square and independent sample Student t test. Thirty-seven patients were included (surgery n = 18, stent n = 19). Mean weight at initial intervention was 11.3 ± 8.8 kg for surgical and 20.1 ± 15.5 kg for stent (p = 0.041). Intervention was performed on the left PA in 17 patients, the right PA in 12 patients, and both PAs in 8 patients. Five patients had undergone previous intervention. On mean follow-up of 807 ± 415 days, 50% (9 of 18) of the surgery cohort and 5.3% (1 of 19) of the stent cohort required reintervention (p = 0.002). In all but one case reintervention was catheter-based. Mean time to reintervention for the surgery cohort was 272 ± 162 days and for the single stent cohort it was 150 days. When comparable age and weight groups were analyzed, reintervention was still more common in the surgery cohort (p = 0.007). Children undergoing surgical branch pulmonary arterioplasty are more likely to require reintervention than those undergoing stent placement.