Transcatheter closure of residual patent ductus arteriosus

Residual patent ductus arteriosus (rPDAs) can occur following surgical or transcatheter treatment, and are indicated for closure because of the risks of infective endarteritis and hemolysis in addition to the hemodynamic effect of the residual left-to-right shunt.

This retrospective descriptive study describes our experience at two Egyptian centers (Cairo University Children's Hospital & Tanta University Hospital) with transcatheter treatment of rPDAs, from January 2009 to October 2017.

Twenty cases were treated: 17/20 postsurgical and 3/20 post-transcatheter, at a mean period of 13.4 ± 9.3 months from the initial procedure. The median rPDA size was 2 mm (range2-3.5 mm). Most common ductal anatomy was the conical shape. All rPDAs were successfully closed with either coils (13/20) or devices (6/20), except one case where the residual flow was within the device mesh material. Coils could be deployed from the antegrade or the retrograde approaches although the latter was associated with a higher incidence of late shunt occlusion. One case with a malpositioned device required simultaneous device and LPA stent deployment.

Transcatheter closure of rPDAs is feasible in most cases, but may be technically challenging.