Arterial duct closure with detachable coils: application in the small child.

Transcatheter closure of patent ductus arteriosus using controlled-release coils was performed in 16 patients weighing < 10 kg. No embolization occurred. Procedure-related complications occurred in 3 patients (18.8%): massive femoral hemorrhage in 1 and femoral artery thrombosis in 2. The ductus recanalized in 1 of them because of mechanical hemolysis caused by streptokinase treatment. This was the only patient who underwent another occlusion procedure. Complete occlusion was achieved in 7 patients (43.8%) immediately, in 13 (81.2%) the following day, and in all 15 patients who had completed the 6-month follow-up. During follow-up, flow velocities between the left and the main pulmonary arteries and between the descending and the ascending aortae did not differ significantly. Flow velocity was > 2 m x sec(-1) in 3 patients in the left pulmonary artery and in 1 in the descending aorta. Protrusion of the coil was seen in 3 of these patients. Flow velocity was also high in the main pulmonary artery in the 4th patient. In conclusion, coil occlusion of ductus arteriosus is feasible in the small child, but no more than half a loop of the coil should be left at the pulmonary site. High flow velocity does not always mean obstruction.