Percutaneous closure of a modified Blalock-Taussig shunt using an amplatzer vascular plug

Modified Blalock-Taussig shunts are usually clamped during the successive corrective or palliative surgical procedures carried out to treat underlying congenital heart disease, though at times they may be left permeable for a number of reasons. Subsequently, when this is no longer considered necessary and closure is indicated, the method of choice is percutaneous embolization using various coils or other devices. We report on a series of patients in whom this type of shunt was closed successfully via an arterial approach using a new device: the Amplatzer Vascular Plug. In addition to employing a controlled-release system, this type of plug has the advantage that it can be implanted using low-profile catheters. The patients were 1, 4 and 23 years old, respectively, and no complications were reported. The fluoroscopy time was 10, 11 and 9 minutes, respectively, and patients were followed up for 42 months.