Percutaneous closure of a residual ventricular septal defect in a challenging patient

Percutaneous transcatheter closure of congenital or acquired cardiac ventricular septal defects has emerged as a valid alternative to surgical closure in selected cases. It avoids the considerable morbidity and mortality related to open heart surgical procedures. The choice of the device is determined by the particular VSD morphology and thanks to considerable material and technical improvements procedural success rates of over 90% are nowadays achievable. We discuss the case of a young woman who required VSD closure, and in whom re-open-heart surgery was avoided by a successful percutaneous closure using an Amplatzer Patent Ductus Arteriosus Occluder.