Detachable coils for occlusion of patent ductus arteriosus in 2 dogs

To describe the use of a detachable coil for transcatheter closure (TCC) of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in 2 dogs.

Clinical study.

Two female Pembroke Welsh Corgi dogs with PDA.

Using fluoroscopic guidance, an 8-mm-diameter coil stent with 5 loops (detachable coils for PDA closure) was inserted via catheterization of the femoral artery. The catheter was passed through the PDA into the pulmonary artery. The coil was withdrawn so that 1.5 loops remained on the pulmonary side of the orifice of the ductus. The rest of the loops were pushed out from the catheter into the ductus. After confirming the correct placement of the coil and the effectiveness of the occlusion, the delivery wire was detached from the coil.

Insertion of the coil was easily performed, even without previous experience. Immediate and marked decrease of the cardiac murmur was auscultated. Only slight residual flow was detected by angiography conducted 3 months' postoperatively. The dogs experienced quick and uneventful recovery after coil placement and required minimal postoperative care. Follow-up evaluation of the dogs showed no functional clinical signs of PDA, and no cardiac abnormalities were detected on electrocardiographic, phonocardiographic, and echocardiographic examination. In dog 1, the residual flow had disappeared on the color-flow Doppler echocardiographic examination at 18 months' postoperatively.

TCC using a detachable coil was easy, safe, and effective in 2 dogs with PDA. The minimal residual shunting observed only by echocardiography seemed hemodynamically insignificant.

This method can be used as an alternative to traditional surgical methods.