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Published on: August 12, 2014
The VALEO vascular stent for cardiovascular lesions in children
Caroline Ovaert1, Deborah Luciano, Jean Gaudart
1Paediatric Cardiology, Hôpital de la Timone Enfants, AP-HM, Marseille, France.
Insights
The VALEO stent shows promise for pediatric vascular interventions, offering flexibility for complex lesions. However, early stent fractures were observed, necessitating further long-term studies in children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric cardiology
- Interventional cardiology
- Biomaterials engineering
Background:
- The VALEO stent, a stainless steel, open-cell design, offers advantages for pediatric use due to its potential for redilation to large diameters and low profile.
- Clinical data on the VALEO stent's application in pediatric populations is limited, highlighting a need for further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the clinical experience and outcomes of using the VALEO vascular stent in pediatric patients.
- To assess the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of VALEO stent implantation in treating various pediatric vascular conditions.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective analysis of 41 VALEO stent implantations in 30 patients between June 2010 and December 2012.
- Procedures included transcatheter and perioperative interventions for conditions such as pulmonary artery stenosis and ductus arteriosus stenting.
Main Results:
- Successful stent placement was achieved in all but one patient.
- Acute complications included stent dislodgement (2) and fracture (3), with vessel predilatation identified as a risk factor.
- Follow-up revealed patent, endothelialized stents in surgically explanted cases, with no late-type fractures observed.
Conclusions:
- The VALEO stent is a viable option for pediatric vascular interventions, particularly for distal and tortuous lesions, owing to its flexibility.
- Early stent fractures are a concern that requires attention.
- Longer-term follow-up data is essential to fully understand the durability and safety profile of the VALEO stent in children.
Aims:
The VALEO vascular stent is a stainless steel, pre-mounted, open-cell stent. Redilation to large diameters and low profile are advantages in growing children. Clinical experience is scarce. This study aimed to analyse our experience with the use of the VALEO vascular stent in children.
Methods And Results:
Between June 2010 and December 2012, 41 VALEO stents were inserted during 30 transcatheter (group 1) and three perioperative procedures (group 2). Data were retrospectively analysed. Median age at implantation was 3.8 years (four days - 23 years), and median weight was 13.3 kg (2.2-53 kg). Indications were: pulmonary artery (n=23), pulmonary vein (n=1) or subhepatic vein (n=1) stenosis, and ductus arteriosus stenting (n=8). Stent placement was achieved in all but one. Acute complications (n=11) included stent dislodgement in two patients and fracture in three patients, with vessel predilatation as a risk factor. Median "stent" follow-up reached 7.83 months (0.4-34.3 months) and included 26 recatheterisations (23 patients, median interval 6.2 months, range 0.2-33 months). Ten stents were redilated. Surgery in six patients (interval 1.9 to 10 months) showed patent endothelialised stents. No "late" type II or III stent fractures were seen.
Conclusions:
The VALEO stent is useful in children. Low radial force is counterbalanced by high flexibility, allowing implantation in distal and tortuous lesions. Early fractures occur. Longer-term follow-up is needed.
