Therapeutic Utilities of Pediatric Cardiac Catheterization

Abstract

In an era when less invasive techniques are favored, therapeutic cardiac catheterization constantly evolves and widens its spectrum of usage in the pediatric population. The advent of sophisticated devices and well-designed equipment has made the management of many congenital cardiac lesions more efficient and safer, while providing more comfort to the patient. Nowadays, a large variety of heart diseases are managed with transcatheter techniques, such as patent foramen ovale, atrial and ventricular septal defects, valve stenosis, patent ductus arteriosus, aortic coarctation, pulmonary artery and vein stenosis and arteriovenous malformations. Moreover, hybrid procedures and catheter ablation have opened new paths in the treatment of complex cardiac lesions and arrhythmias, respectively. In this article, the main therapeutic utilities of cardiac catheterization in children are discussed.

From Crafoord’s End-to-End Anastomosis Approach to Percutaneous Interventions: Coarctation of the Aorta Management Strategies and Reinterventions

“…In specific cases where neonates are too clinically compromised to undergo immediate surgical intervention, balloon angioplasty emerges as a palliative measure to stabilize their condition [39,40]. Nonetheless, the percutaneous treatment of aortic coarctation in neonates and infants remains contentious due to concerns surrounding residual or recurrent stenosis and the potential formation of aneurysms at the dilation site [41].…”