AD stenting is feasible and effective at low-risk in a high percentage of patients with CHD-DPC, promoting significant and balanced PA growth mainly in patients with hypoplastic main PAs at duct stabilization.

Percutaneous pulmonary valve implantation (PPVI) is recognized as a feasible and low risk alternative to surgery to treat dysfunctional right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) in usually pluri-operated patients. Evolving technology allowed to develop different kind of prosthesis and to go from an initial treatment exclusively of stenotic conduit to an actual approach extended also to wide native RVOT. The Melody transcatheter pulmonary valve (TPV) and the Edwards Sapien valve are nowadays the most commonly implanted prostheses. However, other devices have been developed to treat large RVOT (i.e., the Venus p-valve, the Medtronic Harmony TPV, the Alterra Adaptive Prestent, and the Pulsta valve). Indications for PPVI are the same as for surgical interventions on pulmonary valve, with limits related to the maximum diameter of the available percutaneous prosthesis. Therefore, an accurate preoperative evaluation is of paramount importance to select patients who could benefit from this procedure. The overall periprocedural mortality incidence is around 1.4%, while freedom from RVOT reintervention ranges from 100% at 4 months to 70% at 70 months, according to the different published studies.

Background The Edwards SAPIEN valve and its delivery system may complicate transit through the right heart during transcatheter pulmonary valve replacement (tPVR). We report our early experience using a large diameter, 65 cm delivery sheath to facilitate delivery of the SAPIEN valve to the right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT). Methods Retrospective analysis of all patients from three large congenital heart centers undergoing tPVR with the Edwards SAPIEN valve delivered with the 65 cm Gore Dryseal Sheath. Results Over a 12 month period, 30 patients (17 female) with median age 17.5 years (range 8–72) underwent attempted tPVR with the SAPIEN valve delivered using the 65 cm Dryseal sheath (20–26Fr). All procedures resulted in successful valve delivery to the target area. Twenty patients had a native RVOT. The most commonly used valve diameter was 29 mm (n = 15) with the majority of cases requiring a 26Fr Dryseal sheath (n = 20). One patient with severe RVOT stenosis underwent prestenting. Median procedure time was 100 min (59–225). No patient had increase in tricuspid valve regurgitation as a consequence of valve delivery. One patient required a synchronous cardioversion for intraprocedural VT and another required ECMO postprocedure due to severe pre‐existing left ventricular dysfunction. On median follow‐up of 5 months, all patients had mild or less pulmonary regurgitation. Median peak Doppler velocity across the pulmonary valve was 2.2 m/s (1.7–4). There were no clinically relevant complications relating to vascular access. Conclusions Using 65 cm Dryseal sheaths facilitates delivery of SAPIEN valves in patients with dysfunctional RVOTs.

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Percutaneous AD stenting is highly effective in promoting a significant and balanced catch-up growth of diminutive PAs, being therefore advisable in this subset of patients as a reliable alternative to surgical palliation.