Transcatheter occlusion of patent ductus arteriosus using tornado platinum coils.

BACKGROUND

The purpose of the present study was to develop a method to occlude a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) using a tornado platinum coil, which is compatible with magnetic fields.

METHODS

Twelve patients with a PDA (5 boys and 7 girls; 0.6 to 7 yrs; 6.5 to 22.1 kg) were enrolled. The minimum size of the PDA ranged from 0.2 mm to 3.6 mm. Either the anterograde or retrograde method was applied using a retrievable system that consisted of a 5-Fr multipurpose catheter and a 3-Fr bioptome. Three to 3.5 loops of the larger end of a tornado platinum coil were placed in the aortic ampulla and the remaining 0.5-1.0 loop of the smaller end of the coil was placed in the main pulmonary artery.

RESULTS

In 11 patients with minimum size of PDA </= 2.8 mm, the PDA was successfully occluded using one to five tornado platinum coils and, in 10 of 11 patients, an echocardiogram confirmed complete occlusion up to 6 months after the procedures. In the remaining patient with a relatively large PDA (3.6 mm), the PDA could not be occluded because of instability of the coils.

CONCLUSIONS

It is feasible to occlude a relatively small PDA (</= 2.8 mm) using tornado platinum coils, but further study is warranted to evaluate the safety and efficacy of this method.