No abstract

Aortic coarctation is a common congenital cardiovascular defect, which can be diagnosed over a wide range of ages and with varying degrees of severity. Surgery has proven to be an effective treatment for the management of native aortic coarctation, and remains the treatment of choice in neonates. Balloon angioplasty with or without stenting has evolved rapidly over the past decade. Balloon angioplasty is the treatment of choice in children with re-coarctation, and currently available immediate results in native coarctation are similar with regards to gradient reduction as compared with surgery. However, both treatment options carry the risk of restenosis and aortic wall complications, especially after balloon angioplasty without stenting in native coarctation. On the other hand, stent implantation has shown excellent short-term results in both children beyond infancy and in adults with native coarctation. In patients with recurrent coarctation who are at high surgical risk, balloon angioplasty and stent repair offer a less invasive and equally effective method. Stent repair is preferred over balloon angioplasty in adults and outgrown children with a recurrent coarctation, as the risk for re-coarctation and aneurysm formation seems to be lower. Data with regard to long-term outcome after percutaneous treatment strategies are scarce. This review summarizes the current insights in the efficacy and safety of both surgical and transcatheter treatment options for aortic coarctation.

Objectives Paediatric pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) after neonatal arterial switch operation (ASO) for transposition of the great arteries (TGA) is a clinically recognised entity with an estimated incidence of 0.6%-1.0%. Nevertheless, a clinical characterisation is lacking. We present an international cohort of children with PAH after neonatal ASO for TGA and describe epidemiology and clinical course. Methods Data were collected of children with PAH after neonatal ASO (≤6 weeks after birth) for simple TGA without residual shunt defects, identified in four national paediatric PAH networks in Europe and one US referral centre. Results Twenty-five children were identified between 1989 and 2014. In 17 children (68%), PAH was detected <1 year after ASO. In the remaining children, PAH was detected after median 64 months (IQR 19.5, 94.5). Nineteen children (96%) received PAH-targeted therapies. During follow-up after ASO (median 5.2 years), eight children died, four underwent lung transplantation and two received a Potts shunt. 1-year and 5-year Potts shunt-and transplantation-free survival after ASO was 100% and 73%. From first PAH detection, this was 100% and 58%, respectively, which did not differ between children with early (<1 year after ASO) or late PAH detection. Conclusions The occurrence of PAH after ASO for TGA represents a specific association. PAH onset may be early or late after ASO, with similar fatal course from first PAH detection. Mechanisms leading to PAH in this association are unknown, but may include abnormal prenatal pulmonary haemodynamics and/or genetic susceptibility. Routine, lifelong follow-up for children who undergo ASO for TGA should include screening for PAH.