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Successful intravascular pulmonary lithotripsy in a child with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension
Sabine Diepenbruck1, Robert Dalla-Pozza1, Joseph Pattathu1
1Department of Pediatric Cardiology and Pediatric Intensive Care, Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
Abstract:
Intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) is a novel method based on pulsatile ultrasonic pressure waves specifically aimed to modify circumferential and transmural calcium plaques. We report on the successful application of a shockwave IVL catheter® in a child with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension due to calcified thrombi in both lower lobes. Compared to conventional high-pressure balloon angioplasty, a significant perfusion-improvement was achieved with a shockwave IVL catheter® (4 mm) of the treated right pulmonary artery branch. Furthermore, subsequent surgical thrombectomy was reported to be considerably easier for the shockwave-treated thrombotic areas than the high-pressure balloon-only-treated thrombus. In conclusion, the shockwave IVL catheter® may be a promising option in chronic thromboembolic lesions in PA (pulmonary artery) position, and furthermore might be an option when treating children.
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